Darkness
by BlueDragonIsAwesome
Summary: Maka is a normal high school student with a normal life, or is she? She is suddenly getting letters telling her to leave town and is seeing a weird boy that no one else can see. She is also plagued with the death of a friend. What will she do?
1. Prologue

_**(Author's Notes: Another story for KidxMaka...This is a prologue. The events are in the past, so you, the reader, will understand what is happening in the present. Enjoy!) **_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater or the characters. **_

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><p><em><strong>January 13, 2004.<strong>_

It was a typical day at school. Maka was paying full attention to Stein's lecture as Soul put his feet onto the desk. Maka gave him a disapproving glance before looking back at the professor. Black*Star was yawning from boredom as Tsubaki tried her best to keep up with what Stein was saying. This continued for the rest of the class.

"The chairman's son didn't come for class again!" A girl whispered to her friend excitedly. "I know! He is so hard-core!" Most of the girl students were talking about the famed boy. "What a show-off!" Black*Star said angrily. "Yeah, uncool," Soul agreed as the two boys walked past Maka and Tsubaki. Maka shouted to Soul, "You better be home by eight-thirty!" Soul didn't look back but waved his hand nonchalantly to show that he understood.

"I heard that he is hot…!" More gossiping continued. As the two girls went through the doors that led outside of the Academy Tsubaki asked innocently, "Why do they keep talking about him if they haven't even seen him…?" Maka closed her eyes and replied, "Those girls don't know what they're saying. This guy can't be much if he doesn't show up for class. Probably just a jerk who thinks he doesn't need education." Maka opened her eyes as she finished and saw a weird boy with white stripes in his naturally black hair pass by. He had yellow eyes, pale skin, and an eerie cloak covering him. Finding this odd, she turned around to look at him to confirm if what she saw was real but he had disappeared.

Maka was lost in her thoughts. _Who was that boy? Have I seen him before? _"Maka, are you alright?" Tsubaki asked her friend. "H-Huh?" Maka snapped out of her stupor as Tsubaki explained, "You spaced out for a sec." "Did you see a boy walk by?" Tsubaki looked confused as she said, "No…" Disappointed in her answer, Maka clutched her books a bit tighter, "I'll see you tomorrow."

_**February 6, 2004.**_

Maka had completely forgotten about the strange boy she saw. She was busy with studying for the big test that would determine whether or not they would pass the grade. Everyone in the class was working on other assignments and hard at work since Stein had called today a "Study Day." He was muttering something that sounded something like, "Suddenly calling me to a meeting…Didn't get a substitute…" _Maybe something's wrong...? _It was just a passing thought before Maka took out her textbook.

Once the students were sure that Stein was out of earshot, they started conversing loudly, causing Maka to get annoyed. After a long while of getting no work done, Maka decided that she'd go home. After all, what's the point in being at school when you couldn't learn? At least, that's what she was thinking at the time. As she got up to leave she told her friend Soul, "See you. Going to go study." She could hear him chuckle from behind her as she left.

"Okay… So that's how it works…," Maka mumbled to herself as she forced herself to continue studying. It was well past midnight. Her eye lids felt heavy, and the textbook looked like an awfully appealing pillow… And before she knew it, she had drifted off into a well deserved rest. The only thing was that her 'pillow' wasn't as comfortable as she had hoped.

"_Where am I…?" Maka gazed into the darkness nervously. As she turned, a pair of glowing golden eyes pierced through the shadows. "What…?" They disappeared, and the girl was left alone again. In a flash, Maka couldn't breathe; it felt as if all of the air in the room had evaporated completely. She gripped her throat, coughed, and looked around helplessly, "Help…" _

_She fell onto the ground with her hands clenched around her throat, "Help…" Suddenly, the strange boy from earlier appeared and stared at her blankly. He ignored her cries for help as he whispered, "You're in danger…" Maka still couldn't breathe. "You must escape the darkness…Before it devours your soul…"_

Maka awoke with a start and pushed away from her desk, which caused her to fall back onto the floor. She was breathing hard, her hands pressed against her neck. "Are you alright?" Soul rushed in to check on her. "I-I'm fine…" She didn't make a move to get up. "Bad dream?" Soul inquired as he leaned against the doorframe. Maka didn't reply. "Wanna talk about it?" She still did not say anything as Soul sighed, "I'm going out with Black*Star, be back soon." He departed from the room as Maka's mind was buzzing.

_What was that dream about? What happened? It felt so real…_ She shuddered as she recalled what occurred. _It felt like someone was strangling me…That boy… _Maka tried to remember where she had seen that boy. _Wait! At school… I saw him walk past, right? But Tsubaki didn't see him… Maybe he knows what's happening… He said I was in danger…From the darkness? Darkness… Maybe I should call Tsubaki. _

Maka dialed Tsubaki's number and waited for her to pick up. After a while, Maka heard Tsubaki's voice, "Hello…" Relieved, Maka started, "Listen, Tsubaki, I just had a terrible nightmare…" Tsubaki replied worriedly, "What happened? Are you alright?" Maka explained to Tsubaki in detail what had happened and about how she had seen the strange boy before. "Maka, you were just tired from studying…" Tsubaki said. "But Tsubaki, it felt so real!" Maka argued. "But Maka, it was just a dream. Try to get some more rest before studying again. I gotta go, see you! Try not to overwork yourself again," Tsubaki's voice faded away and Maka realized that she had already hung up. _Maybe she's right…It was just a dream, after all… _

_**February 9, 2004. **_

It had been three days since the nightmare, but Maka still kept a look out for the boy and tried to decipher what he could've meant in the dream. She would've asked for help from Tsubaki, but knew that she'd think that the whole thing was ridiculous.

With this in her mind, Maka made her way to her usual seat. Everyone was talking amongst themselves happily as Maka noticed a slip of paper on her desk. Confused, she reached for the paper and opened it. It read: YoU bEtTeR gEt OuT oF tOwN oR eLsE yOu WiLl DiE!

It was obviously made with magazine letters, but what struck odd to Maka was the picture of a giraffe on the edge. "Does someone hate me…?" Soul took the sheet out of her hands and read it. "What the hell? Maka, did you do something?" She shook her head and said, "I didn't." Soul thought for a moment before responding, "Don't worry about it. No one can kill you without being noticed." _I'll ask the professor for help, I guess… _Stein's voice rang out, "Everyone! Take your seats. Now, last Friday, as all of you know, I was called out of class. So, as an apology…" Everyone leaned closer as Stein put his hand under his desk. He pulled out a cage and slammed it onto the counter, "We will dissect this endangered bird."

After class, Maka ran to catch up with the teacher, "Professor…" The hallway they were in was significantly dark; the lights were broken. Stein turned to face her, "What is it?" Maka panted, "I…I need to…speak to the chairman." Stein's eyes widened considerably as he said, "Er…Maka Albarn, was it?" She nodded in response as he continued, "I'm sorry, but the chairman does not speak to anyone other than his son and most trusted friend. I apologize, but I cannot help you." Maka thought for a moment, "Then, can you help me? I found this on my desk this morning." She handed him the slip of paper. "What is this?" He flipped the paper questioningly. "What do you mean? It is a note that is threatening me," Maka looked at him oddly. "Are you joking? Albarn, please do not disturb me again with this nonsense." He gave her the paper and started walking away. "But sir…!" "Good day," He said with finality.

Maka looked at the paper and realized that the message had disappeared. Confused, she flipped it over, just as Stein had, but the message was not there either. She started walking down the hall towards the entrance of the school, still looking at the letter. As she stepped into the sunlight, the message resurfaced; except, it said something else this time: LeAvE nOw! YoU cAnNoT sHoW aNy AdUlTs ThIs MeSsAgE. iT wIlL dIsSaPpEaR sO nOoNe CaN sAvE yOu!

Again, there was a giraffe picture on it; but this time, its' neck was disconnected from its' body. "What the…?" Maka started worrying. _Someone really does hate me…! What do I do? I've never been hated before… _"Are you alright, Maka?" A friendly voice called. _Tsubaki…! _"Look at this!" Maka showed her the message. Tsubaki looked frightened as Maka continued, "The first note said 'you better get out of town or else you will die.' What should I do?" Tsubaki informed, "Since you can't show it to any adults…I guess you should just make sure that you are never alone. Try not to think about this too much…It's probably just an empty threat…?"

_**February 24, 2004.**_

Maka was finally enjoying herself again. She was sitting in the living room and enjoying a good book. It was getting at the best part, when there was a knock on the door. _Is Soul back? _Maka got up and made her way to the door when the visitor knocked again. They were definitely in a hurry. She opened the door to see a girl around her age. "Hello…?" Maka greeted questioningly. "We need to talk, now…" the girl was speaking quite seriously. Maka let her in and they both took a seat on the couch.

"What's your name?" Maka asked. "I'm Liz, but that's not important. Listen, you need to get out of here. Out of this city." Maka moved uncomfortably, "I'm sorry, but this is my home." Liz snapped, "You don't understand! You need to leave. You and everyone around you are in danger as long as you're here. I don't have time to explain why because he will figure out that I'm not there…" She shuddered. "He?" Maka inquired, annoyed. "Er, I said too much…But…Bad things will happen if you stay."

Maka started getting angry, "Please get out of my house. I will not listen to this. I've had enough." "Not until you understand…! I've already interfered in his affairs so I might as well go all the way…!" Liz argued back. Maka pulled the girl (not strong enough to hurt her) out of her apartment and closed the door. "Don't do this…!" Liz pleaded from behind the door but Maka would hear none of it.

"Did she listen…?" A different girl asked.

"No…" Liz replied.

_**March 1, 2004. **_

The girl named Liz didn't show up again. But, what she said had worried Maka. What if everyone really was in danger? But, she decided that she was out of her mind and dismissed the idea. There was no way that something was threatening everybody, right?

Today was the day that they were taking the big test. The test that decided whether or not they passed the grade. Soul and Black*Star looked extremely unnerved, so Maka concluded that they probably didn't study. Tsubaki, Maka noticed, didn't look nervous at all. In fact, she seemed very confident. "And here are the test papers. No cheating, or else you'll get a zero. A zero means that you fail the grade. Got it?" Stein snarled to the class. He seemed angry about something.

The questions were tremendously easy. Maka swept right through them and finished first. To pass the time, Maka took out a book and started reading; her favorite pastime. As the clock ticked, Stein finally said, "Put down your pencils. The test is over." Maka glanced at Soul who looked a bit relieved. This made her smile.

After school, Maka walked home alone. Soul had explained that he was going to play basketball and Tsubaki had hurried to her house. Maka was really tired as she unlocked the door. All of the studying she had been doing was getting to her. As she walked into her apartment, she didn't bother to turn the lights on and wandered to where her room was. Before she made it, strong arms wrapped around her. "You didn't listen…" The boy whispered into her ear, "After all of those warnings…Why?" Maka couldn't get out of his grasp, "I'm not about to leave my friends…!"

"You're going to have to. It's too late, I can't hesitate anymore," his grip tightened, "Someone that isn't involved has already been killed." Maka said, "What are you talking about?" The stranger responded, "Your friend…Is gone." Maka finally broke out of his grasp and pulled out her phone. _He can't be serious… _She called Tsubaki and waited for her to pick up. Sure enough, a friendly voice came through, "Hello." Relieved that the boy was wrong about Tsubaki, Maka started explaining what was happening, "Tsubaki! When I got home a boy was here and…," she broke off. "I'm not able to come to the phone right now, please leave a message or call me later."

As she heard this, Maka dropped her cell phone. "What happened to Tsubaki? Who are you?" The boy looked impatient, "There's no time to explain right now, come on!" He took a step toward her as she took one back. "Not until you tell me what the_ hell_ is happening!" Before she finished the sentence Maka felt as if she were being lifted. The stranger had grabbed her and was moving quickly. He was moving so fast that Maka couldn't object because of the dizziness. _Where is he taking me…?_


	2. Kid's House

Maka awoke slowly. Whatever she was laying on was very soft. As she opened her eyes she heard a voice, "You're awake." Her eyes snapped open to find the source of the stranger, which was none other than the boy from before. Maka was lying on a large bed in a very big room. She thought she could fit her entire school in this area. The place looked well-kept; everything looked perfect, even where she was on the bed. She then noticed that the boy was sitting at the foot of the bed; staring at her.

Maka sat up quickly; he was looking at her so intensely. Maka wanted to say something, but found that she couldn't. Her mouth wasn't functioning correctly under his strong gaze. Deciding that she didn't want to look into his eyes any longer, she started to play with her fingers. He seemed to have no emotion at all; especially after the other night. "I won't let that happen again," the boy looked at her sternly. Maka didn't know what he was talking about, "What?" She regretted saying this. Once she glanced upward for an answer she noticed that the boy was on all-fours and very close to her.

"It's been too long…" The boy crawled closer to Maka with a strange look in his eyes. It was scary to see, he looked really hungry. In fact, it seemed like he hadn't eaten for ten years from the look of it. She couldn't back away; she was already against the wall. The boy stretched out his arm as Maka flinched. After seeing this, he hesitated, and a warm look replaced the cold, hungry one. His outstretched arm pulled her closer to him; into a nice embrace.

Maka was highly confused. She pushed him away and demanded, "Who are you?" He looked very surprised at this. "What…? You don't know who I am…?" Maka stared at him; he seemed to be talking to himself. "But…That first time…You looked back at me. You definitely recognized me…Are you lying Maka?" Hearing her name from a complete stranger alarmed her, "Tell me who you are!" He snapped out of his apparent stupor and looked at her disbelievingly. "I'm Death the Kid."

This struck a chord within Maka and the boy seemed to notice too. "Do you remember?" Maka shook her head, "It's familiar…But, I've been in that city for all of my life. I have so many friends…" She stopped dead at that word. _Friends._ She felt for her phone frantically and couldn't find it. After searching for it, she realized that her cell along with all of her belongings were gone. "Where's my phone…?" She looked at him expectantly. Kid replied, "You'll get it in due time. Now, you're awake now, so we might as well get going."

The boy got up and walked to where Maka was sitting. He put out his hand which Maka took reluctantly, "Where are we going?" She still didn't quite trust him. "I have to show you around, you haven't been here in a long time…" He led her to the door and opened it. "How come I don't know who you are and you know who I am…?" Maka asked. She had a lot of questions to ask the boy. "I'm not quite sure. Something that caused memory loss, probably."

When the doors opened, Maka saw a huge hallway that could put the bedroom to shame. Everything was perfect; she couldn't help but look in awe at all the beautiful paintings. Snapping back into reality, she turned to Kid, "Where am I?" He shook his head, "I can't tell you that." "Why?" The boy thought for a moment before responding, "It's a secret place. But, I can tell you that I live here." He winked. Maka blushed and looked away. He was starting to get to her. After recovering, Maka asked, "In my dream, you were saying something about 'darkness.' What were you talking about?"

The boy said, "Answers will come soon… That room that we left, that is your bedroom. And this," He pushed open the doors, "Is the kitchen." The 'kitchen' was very big. In fact, everything in his house was ten times bigger than anything Maka had ever seen. She walked into the room and stared at all the cabinets and refrigerators. She then noticed a figure that was opening the cabinet.

"Liz…?" Maka questioned as the girl turned around. "You know Liz?" He asked and looked at Maka, "How?" Liz had an expression of terror. "She came to my house and told me I had to leave the city a while ago." Kid said, "Liz, come here," he gritted his teeth. Liz gulped and walked over unwillingly. "Is what Maka said true? Did you go to her home?" His rage seemed to rise with every word. "Y-Yes…"

Puzzled, Maka wondered, "Why are you getting mad? What's wrong?" Kid's anger somewhat subsided, "Well, she wasn't supposed to leave the house." Liz sighed from relief as Kid shot an I'm-not-finished-with-you look. Maka took a step forward and extended her hand, "We didn't properly introduce ourselves. I'm Maka Albarn." Liz looked questioningly at the gesture and at Kid, obviously confused. "Um, hello, I'm Liz Thompson," she awkwardly shook hands with her. "We'd better be off. Liz, I'll talk to you later," he grabbed Maka's hand and led her away. "It was nice to meet you!" Maka said as Kid pulled her out of the room and into a different hallway.

"So, this would be Liz's room," Kid pointed to a door. "What about this one…?" Maka motioned to the door directly across from it. "That's—""Sir! An urgent letter from your father has arrived!" A blue man ran up to the alarmed Kid. "I have to take this, Maka. Patty! Take care of Maka! Let's go, Sid." He sprinted off with the weird man leaving Maka alone. _Patty…? _The door she had previously asked about creaked open.

"You've returned…" A blonde said behind the door, "Why? Why did you leave us?" The girl pushed open the door and hugged Maka, "Kid missed you so much…Did you get my letters?" The blonde smiled toothily at her. _Letters? Wait…Is she talking about those threatening letters? _"The ones with the giraffes?" Maka inquired. "Yeah~! That was me! I wasn't sure how else to get your attention, even sis tried!" She seemed really cheerful as oppose to earlier.

Feeling that she could trust this girl, Maka asked, "What's your name? It certainly is nice to meet you." Her expression changed dramatically, "Huh? Maka doesn't know my name…" Maka looked sympathetic, "I'm sorry, but I've never met you before." The girl smiled at her, "Yeah, I'm Patty. What were you and Kid doing earlier~?"

"He was showing me around the house…" Maka suddenly remembered that Kid had said a friend of hers was dead. "Do you have a phone?" Confused, Patty pulled out a cell phone and handed it to Maka. She put in Tsubaki's number hurriedly and said to the other girl, "Just a sec…" As she waited, Tsubaki's voice did not come through. Instead, a computer voice said, "I'm sorry, but this number is currently unavailable." She then dialed Soul's number and waited for him to pick up. Sure enough, he said, "Hello?" Maka replied, "Soul!"

"What? Maka? Where have you been?" He sounded panicky. "I don't know, but more importantly, where's Tsubaki? She wouldn't pick up." She could hear a slight intake of breath. "…No one knows. She disappeared the night you vanished. We thought you both were kidnapped or something." Kid's voice echoed in Maka's head. _You're in danger…_ _Someone that isn't involved has already been killed… The darkness… _"Soul, something really weird is happening, I don't know if I can call you again, but stay away from the darkness, okay? Make sure Black*Star knows—"The phone call abruptly ended. "Out of money~!" Patty giggled lightheartedly.

After the phone call, Maka thought about how she'd never see Tsubaki again, this depressed her greatly. _Another person I've lost… _Noticing the sudden change in the mood, Patty said, "Well, how 'bout we go and have some fun?" Maka shook her head and said emotionlessly, "No thanks." She turned around and walked away. She planned on going back to her room, which seemed appropriate. "What happened…?" Patty wondered.

Once in her bedroom, Maka turned off the lights and sat on the bed; her arms wrapped tightly around her knees. "My best friend…" She mumbled, "How could this have happened…?" Her grip tightened. _What am I supposed to do now? Will they let me go home? …Probably not. Kid practically abducted me… I want to see Soul. I want to see Tsubaki. Hell, I even want to see Black*Star… _Tears stained her face. _Why is this happening? What have I done to deserve this?_

"_I've found you…" _A strange voice resonated throughout the room, "_What a stupid girl." _Maka was about to say something, when the air in the room suddenly disappeared. "Help…! Help…! Help…" Her sight started fading. She could faintly hear the voice's laughter before she blacked out. _Not again…_

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><p>"PATTY! I TOLD YOU TO WATCH HER!" Kid shouted loudly at the girl, "WHAT WOULD WE HAVE DONE IF LIZ HADN'T HEARD HER?" Maka didn't feel like opening her eyes, but still did. She was in her bedroom but was in the company of four others. What she saw was Patty trembling in front of Kid. She saw Liz trying to calm him down and… "Stein? What…" She couldn't finish the sentence, "No need, Albarn. I'm friends with Kid and am aware of your situation." Maka tried to speak, "What happened to Tsubaki?" His expression dimmed, "She disappeared. Nowhere to be seen."<p>

"Maka?" Kid just realized that she had awoken and was running to her. "Are you okay? Are you hurt? What happened?" His anger had been replaced with concern as he kissed her forehead, "I was so worried…" Maka blushed as she said, "I'm fine." He suddenly looked at her seriously, "You didn't listen, I told you about the darkness…!" Remembering her dream, she sheepishly said, "I forgot about it…" He didn't seem ready to drop the subject, "You could've been killed…It's lucky that Liz was there. Maka, you need to be more careful! Since you don't know anything about—"He broke off, not wanting to continue.

"What?" Maka looked at everyone in the room. Stein considered for a moment before saying, "The darkness, Albarn. You don't quite understand its complexity and how dangerous it is. Kid is right, you're lucky to be alive." There was silence that followed. Maka asked Stein, "Will I still be able to go to class?" He shook his head, "Absolutely not. You are not to leave the mansion. Correct?" Stein glanced slyly at Kid. "What? You can't keep me here! Soul will be worried!" Kid asked suspiciously, "Who is Soul?"

"He is my closest friend, I miss him very much and he's worried. Especially after Tsubaki disappeared…!" His anger seemed to have risen, "You miss _him_?" Maka nodded determinedly. "No, no, no. I refuse to let you see this…this _boy _again. He's probably just using you, and I will not see this happen to you," he declared. "You can't control me…! This is my life!" Her temper kept rising. Why would he be _ordering _her around? "These precautions are for your safety, Maka."

Maka got herself out of the bed and was about to make a break for the door when Kid pressed his lips onto hers. His tongue pushed something into her mouth and forced her to swallow. Maka tried to shove him away, but found herself getting weaker. His tongue lingered for a moment before he pulled away. "I'm sorry," his voice was distorted, and before she knew it, she had passed out for the second time that day.


	3. Memory

"How long is this supposed to keep her asleep?" Kid asked as he watched the sleeping girl. Liz and Patti nowhere to be seen. "About a year," Stein said, smirking. "What? A _year_?" He started panicking and looking around frantically. Stein laughed quietly, "Relax, I was only joking. She won't be asleep much longer." Kid glared at Stein malevolently without a word. After a moment, Stein wondered, "When exactly do you plan on telling her?"

Kid, who had gone back to watching Maka, chose his words carefully, "I don't know if I will. Since she doesn't remember, it'd be too much of a shock." He absentmindedly stroked Maka's bangs. "Is that so? I suppose that makes sense, but is it what you really want?" It took a minute for Kid to respond, evidently thinking. Finally, he answered, "Yes, whatever she decides…" Stein stared at him, obviously disappointed in his answer. "I've got work to do. You know where to find me if you need to," Stein said curtly as he left the room, leaving Kid and Maka alone.

"It's just like that other time…" Kid chuckled to himself, "Hopefully she'll trust me a bit more…" As he said this, Maka began to stir. The first thing she noticed was her forehead throbbing painfully. She opened her eyes and forced herself to sit up. "Morning!" Kid said a bit too cheerfully. "Er…Why are you so happy?" Maka mumbled as she rubbed her eyes, still half-asleep. "I'm always happy when I'm with you." Kid smiled, but Maka did not seem to hear because she didn't respond at all.

"What're we doing today…?" Maka's head was still aching terribly; she wasn't feeling normal… "Whatever we want to," he grinned and this time Maka noticed. "Okay…" She could not think at all with this headache and his positive outlook wasn't helping. Maka speculated, "Why is everything so perfect…?" Kid didn't understand, "What do you mean?" She subconsciously twiddled her thumbs. "I mean, why are all of the portraits and dressers lined up perfectly on the walls?" Kid said with a lot of emotion, "That's easy, it's because of the _symmetry_!" Maka looked at him for a moment to see if he was serious. When his face did not change, Maka fell back laughing despite the pain.

"What's so funny?" Kid pretended to be upset and smiled at her sudden change in attitude. "The symmetry…! Haha, he was serious…! Haha…" Her giggling eventually died out and she wiped a tear away from her eye. Kid said earnestly, "It's true. Symmetry is very important!" He moved his arms as if to emphasize the fact, but failed. In reality, he was just doing it because she found it amusing.

Maka giggled and watched him for a bit. Just as he was about to say another joke, someone had pushed the door open quickly. "Your father wants to speak to you and I," the man had messy, red hair, "And who is this?" He shot a fierce look at Maka. "Whoever I have as a guest has nothing to do with you, Spirit," Kid glared. "It does, your father has trusted in me to make sure you do your job right. And if you are playing with girls…Wait," Spirit advanced toward Maka. "You, what is your name?"

Maka was intimidated at suddenly being pulled into the conversation, "I'm Maka Albarn…" Spirit's expression changed drastically, he now looked somewhat pleased. "We'll have to report this, Kiddo." Kid stared angrily at the man for calling him his old childhood nickname. "Er, excuse me, but…What's your name?" Both Kid and Spirit turned to her, mutually surprised. "I'm Spirit," he had pleasant surprise written on his face while Kid had an expression of horror. "Now, we must be going, I expect you to be on your best behavior, little Maka." Maka did not realize that Spirit was teasing her, "Yes sir!" When Spirit turned his head away, Kid leaned toward Maka and whispered into her ear, "Don't do anything stupid, Liz will be watching you today."

As Kid left, Maka couldn't help but feel angry. She was being watched constantly as if she were a million dollar painting about to be stolen! It was as if he didn't think that she could protect herself, almost like he didn't trust her! With these thoughts, Maka glowered to where the door was. She was going to do something she knew he would not approve of, just to get revenge._ No, you're better than that_, a defiant voice said in the back of Maka's mind, which she promptly ignored. _You're not thinking correctly. _She got up and snuck out of the room, marching down the hallways.

Maka did not know what she was doing; all she knew was that Kid was treating her like a little infant that needed continuous care. She kept seeing flashes of what had happened earlier. She forced a small door open and strode into the room. She wandered aimlessly for a minute before feeling something familiar. She picked it up and immediately knew what it was; her phone. As the lights turned on, Maka quickly pocketed it. She realized that she was in some kind of laboratory with many different knives and scissors; there were beds with straps on them, too.

"What are you doing here, Albarn?" Someone asked suspiciously. Maka turned around quickly to find Stein staring at her incredulously. Every ounce of resentment she had felt earlier had evaporated and left her feeling guilty, "Er…" Ashamed of her rash actions, she could not bring herself to reply. Stein smirked, "You know, if you keep sneaking around you may find yourself in one of those," he gestured to the bed. "Besides, Liz and Patty are looking for you, very worried." Relieved to find an excuse to leave the embarrassing scene, Maka responded, "Uh yeah, I should go find them then…"

As she awkwardly passed him, Stein said, "Don't sneak around anymore, others won't be as lenient as I am, alright? Be cautious of who you trust." Maka did not stop, in fact, she sped up. Stein was her teacher, but even so, it felt as if she had never talked to him before. He was very different from how Maka imagined him to be. In class, he seemed angry all of the time, and sometimes murderous. But here in the mansion, he seemed somewhat caring and open; someone you could depend on with anything. It was quite the change.

When Maka was two floors away from Stein's lab, she rested a bit. _That was awkward…Why was my phone in there? They must be hiding something from me… _She leaned on the wall behind her. _What could it be? _"There you are~!" A friendly voice echoed throughout the hallway, "Liz, I found her~!" Patty practically ran towards Maka as Liz emerged from the corner. "I'm glad we found you, if we didn't, Kid would surely have killed us…" Liz winced. "Yeah, sorry about that… I was looking for the bathroom and got lost," she lied.

"Did you find it?" Liz inquired worriedly. "Er, yeah!" she smiled convincingly. "Well, that's nice… Kid told us that he won't be back for a while, so we can do whatever we want!" Liz grinned menacingly. "What are you…?" Before Maka could object, the two girls were already dragging her away, "Where are we going?" Patty sang, "We're going to watch a movie~!" Within a minute, the three girls were sitting on a couch watching a film on a flat screen; Maka sandwiched in the middle.

Maka didn't pay much attention; she was thinking about Soul. Was he alright? Was he worrying about her? She glanced toward the two girls and leaned back so she wasn't quite in their sight. Maka then pulled out her phone and texted Soul, _How are you?_ Once sent, she wanted to make sure that the Thompson sisters were still intent on their movie, which they were.

Maka felt vibration and immediately checked her phone. Soul replied, _I'm fine, how are you? Just when will you be coming back to class? Stein told us that you had some kind of family emergency but me and Black*Star know better. What's going on? _Maka wasn't sure what to say. Should she tell him everything? What would Kid do if he found out? In the end, she typed, _I'm alright, and I don't think I can come back. I'm at a mansion and they don't want me to leave. They say that they used to know me, but I have no idea who they are. I think they're telling the truth because they knew my name…_

Soul responded quickly, _They? Who are they? What can I do to help you? _Maka bit her lip. Just what _could _Soul do? _They as in the people who live here. Make sure everyone at school isn't worrying too badly… _"Maka, who is your favorite character?" Liz asked as she turned toward her. Maka quickly pressed send and hid the phone. "Er…Who's your favorite?" She didn't know any of the characters since she hadn't been paying attention… "My favorite's Nick~!" Patty giggled. "And I like Sammy," Liz smiled. "I like Sammy too," Maka lied.

"That's cool," Liz and Patty went back to watching the television screen. Maka's phone vibrated again, but she ignored it. She didn't want the two girls to see her with it. Minutes passed as Maka finally got absorbed into the movie. It was about a young boy who got cancer and his friend who helped him through it. In the end, the boy ended up dying. It was sad and happy at the same time because he died with a smile on his face. He told his friend that he was delighted that she stayed with him by his side.

The film reminded Maka of something that happened a long time ago.

"_Mama…" A little girl no more than three held hands with a young woman in bed. "Are you going to be okay?" The woman gave the little girl's hand a weak squeeze and said, "I'll be fine, dear…" The lady opened her eyes slightly to look at the girl, "Do you know where your papa is?" The girl shook her head slowly. _

"_When will you be able to get out of bed, mama?" The little girl had tears in her eyes. "Soon…" The girl started sobbing quietly. "Please don't cry dear…Mama will be fine, I promise." She faintly lifted her hand to the little girl's face to wipe the tears. The girl stopped crying and sniffled, "Promise?" The young woman smiled feebly, "Yes, I promise…" _

Maka realized that the little girl was her. _She lied…_ "Are you okay, Maka?" Liz asked concernedly. Maka was crying uncontrollably and buried her face in her hands. Why was she remembering this now?

"I…Just…" Maka couldn't get herself to talk. The way the little girl was feeling…She knew exactly what it was like; and it was too much to bear. _So that's what happened to my mom… _The tears wouldn't stop. "It wasn't that bad…What's wrong?" Liz inquired worriedly as Patty stared anxiously. She couldn't bring herself to respond… It felt like there was a heavy weight on her chest that wouldn't go away. It wasn't pleasant.

"What's going on?" Kid asked as he moved quickly to the girls. "We watched a sad movie and she won't stop crying…" Liz explained. When Kid reached them, he said firmly, "Let me see your face." Maka didn't comply; she didn't want anyone to see her like this. After a moment of waiting, Kid reached out for her hands and pried them away from her face. Maka protested and tried to get her hands free but he was too strong. When she realized that she couldn't free herself, she looked away from him so he couldn't see.

Not ready to give up, Kid held both of Maka's wrists with one of his hands and used the other to move her face. Unwilling to look at him, she continued to stare at a painting on the wall of the room. Maka had pink, puffy eyes and was still crying. The memory would not go away… "What did you remember?" Kid stared into her eyes sternly. "What…?" Liz and Patty were surprised that Kid came to that conclusion.

When Maka did not respond, Kid sighed and hugged her, "You can tell me anything…" Liz and Patty took this as a cue to leave. "I can tell when something's on your mind…" Maka decided that she needed to confide in someone, "M-My mom…" A wave of understanding hit Kid. "You remembered what happened to your mom?" He spoke so softly that it was hard not to trust him. "Yes…S-She died a long time ago…" He suddenly felt angry at Liz and Patty for letting her watch something that reminded her of such a terrible memory, but put it aside.

Kid patted Maka's head consolingly, "Yes…She was a great person and lived life to the fullest. She loved you very much…" Somehow, she started calming down. The heavy weight on her chest started going away little by little. Everything she was thinking about earlier went away; her mind was blank. She fell into a dreamless sleep. "Sleep well…Tomorrow will be a long day…"

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><p><em><strong>(Author's Notes: The movie I wrote about isn't about a specific one. I just put what came to me and it might resemble an actual movie, but it isn't meant to. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and sorry for the late update! I'll try to get the next one up sooner than this one...)<strong>_


	4. Meeting Lord Death

_**(Author's Notes: Yay! A new chapter! Hehe... This one is longer than the other ones so I hope you enjoy!)**_

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><p>Maka felt very warm and secure. Something she rarely had the pleasure of recently. To her, it seemed that she could never be hurt as long as she stayed where she was; unmoving. She half-wished that she would never have to leave this safe and cozy place…<p>

"Time to wake up…" After being disturbed from her contented sleep, Maka nuzzled closer to the source of comfort; unwilling to get up. But then, she felt someone's breath in her ear, "Maka…" She jumped away from it and her eyes instantly shot open. "Nice to see you awake," Kid smiled cheekily as Maka blushed crimson. "Why do I always wake up like this?"

Kid chuckled as he stood up, "We have some business to take care of, Maka." After recovering from the embarrassing scene, Maka tilted her head in confusion which Kid found very cute, "Huh?" She then spotted her phone, in clear sight, on the couch. It was still vibrating every few minutes. "My father wants to see you," Kid informed as Maka's eyes kept darting to where the phone was. "What is it…?" Kid was about to search for what she kept looking at when Maka panicked, "NO!"

To keep Kid from seeing her phone, Maka had pressed her hands on his chest. And, like a charm, Kid's focus directed entirely on her. Suddenly flustered, Maka stuttered, "Um, I…Er…Why don't you wait for me over there? I'll be ready soon." She moved her hands away immediately out of humiliation. He looked disappointed, but still went to wait.

As soon as Maka was sure Kid was far enough away, she grabbed her phone and snapped it open. A notification read, _Two New Messages! _Two? Maka wondered who could've sent her a text. All she was expecting was a single one from Soul. She pressed the _list _button and gasped. Two names were shown, _Soul Evans _and _Black*Star_. Maka thought, _I didn't even give him my phone number! What could he possibly have said…? _

Finding more interest in Black*Star's text than Soul's, she opened it. The message read, _Maka, Soul told me all about what's been going on. We need to meet somehow. Sneak out or something, and come to the Park at 8PM on Saturday. Me and Soul'll be there. _Maka reread the text several times. Was he serious? How could she possibly sneak out under this kind of surveillance? Saturday was today, too…

Wondering what Soul's message could've been, she clicked on it next. It interpreted, _Yeah, I've got it under control. Can you try to escape? We need to talk. If these people kidnapped you you're gonna need more than just the will to leave. _Soul was being logical. If she did make it out of the mansion, they'd definitely just abduct her again. She'd have to think of a plan… Just how could she escape them without being noticed?

"Maka? Are you almost done?" Kid inquired from the other room. She stuffed the phone back into her jeans pocket. "Er, what should I wear?" She asked awkwardly. "Ah, right. You can change into what I left out for you." Maka searched around for a moment and found the clothes sitting (perfectly symmetrical) on the table. "Oh, thanks," she said sheepishly. She started lifting her shirt to change, but dropped it instead. She grabbed the clothes and went into the bathroom. _What a pervert… Watching me change through the keyhole… _

Once Maka finished changing, she met Kid at the door. She was wearing a white, long-sleeved button-up shirt with a yellow sweater over it. She had a black coat over this that had a very long tail. A short, red and black skirt that was well above her knees came next. A few remaining touches, such as the white gloves and the big, strap-up boots finished her look. _**(A/N: Imagine Maka's usual look...**)_ Kid's eyes widened considerably.

"I don't know if this fits me…" Maka squirmed uncomfortably. "No…It's perfect…" Kid seemed to be speaking to himself as he stared at her. Not wanting to be caught in the act, Kid quickly got his composure back and stood a little straighter, "This is…What you used to wear…" Maka looked at him incredulously, "Why do you have something like this?"

Kid blushed despite his calm demeanor, "I'm sure you'd like to be getting on to meeting my father." He held her hand gingerly and summoned the skateboard. "I don't…Er… Are we going to be travelling on _that_?" Maka gestured to the floating skateboard. "What, Beelzebub? Of course!" He picked her up just as he had the first time despite her protest, "It's a lot of fun, I assure you." Maka shook her head; she was scared. The last time was different; she was distracted because she was being taken away and therefore did not pay attention to the heights or wind rushing past…

As Maka thought about everything she hadn't been paying attention to, Beelzebub had already taken off. She accidentally looked down. "!" She started wriggling around; trying to get out of his grip. The trees had to have been at least ten thousand miles below, in Maka's opinion. "It's okay," Kid's voice soothed her and caused her to relax involuntarily. _It'll be fine…He'll protect you… _A voice spoke in the back of Maka's mind.

Toward the end of the ride, Maka had started enjoying it and commenting on how beautiful the scenery was. Kid was happy that she enjoyed it, and went faster or slower when she wanted it. "Wait…Is that the Academy?" Indeed, the structure of her school was in the distance. Kid nodded as they landed in front of the school. Confused, Maka followed Kid through the hallways of her school. _I thought we were going to meet Kid's dad…?_

The pair stopped in front of a large door that Maka had never been through before. She read the sign, _Chairman's Office_. Maka gasped as she remembered what Stein had told her before when she asked to speak to him. "_I'm sorry, but the chairman does not speak to anyone other than his son and most trusted friend. I apologize, but I cannot help you."_

Maka suddenly felt a twinge of nervousness. "Wait…Doesn't the chairman only speak to his son and friend?" Kid's hand grasped the handle of the door, "Yes, but no need to worry. This is my father…Oh! And, Maka…" He turned to her, his hand still on the knob, "Spirit is going to be here, be on your guard. Don't trust anything he says." _What? Spirit? _

Kid opened the door and pulled Maka along. The room had little light; Maka could barely make out a couple of figures in the shadows. It wasn't completely dark, however. "Father," Kid kneeled down. Maka wasn't sure what to do, so she kneeled down too. "This is Maka Albarn, as you have requested." One of the bodies shifted a bit as a voice resonated, "Close the door and turn the lights on, if you will." It sounded harsh and a bit scary. "Yes sir." Kid strode to the door and closed it gently. He then turned to the light switch and flicked it on.

What Maka saw was alarming. There was a man (was it even human?) with a skull mask. He didn't look like a person at all; almost like some kind of ghost. Kid's father was definitely intimidating and frightening. Even though she couldn't really see his eyes, Maka could tell that he was staring straight at her and it was very unnerving. As the tension grew between the two, Maka felt like running and not looking back.

Suddenly, the evil looking person said, "Yo! It's been awhile, Maka~!" Taken aback by the unexpected change in attitude, all Maka could utter was, "Wha…?" Kid had returned to Maka's side which seemed to make her feel a lot more comfortable. Spirit laughed at her facial expression but quieted down when Kid's father had told him to "Keep it down." When he turned back to face Maka he said airily, "Oh, you look just like your mother did…"

Maka inquired, "Excuse me, sir. But, what's your name? I'm afraid I don't know who you are, or don't remember…" She could not tell what his facial expression was because of the mask, but was sure he wasn't smiling anymore (If he was). "It's quite alright. You can call me Shinigami-sama~!" Maka couldn't keep herself from asking, "Er, Shinigami-sama, someone told me that you only spoke to your son," she gestured to Kid, "And your trusted friend," she motioned to Spirit. He nodded understandingly, "Well, I couldn't talk to anyone else; they'd all be too scared and would let everyone know, and we don't want that~!"

"I see…" _It was something as simple as that?_ Maka thought disbelievingly. "What do you remember? Oh, and Kiddo, get her a seat!" Shinigami-sama said. _My very first memory… _"I remember…A forest. The sun had just risen, and someone was helping me to leave the woods. That person was…Soul…" Maka whispered the last sentence.

_Her first memory? __**He**_ _was in her first memory? How dare he… _Kid thought bitterly despite his serene look. "How long ago was this? Do you know?" Shinigami-sama urged. "I think it was a year ago," Maka admitted awkwardly. "That makes sense," Spirit said loudly, "Goes with what you did, actually." Kid snapped angrily, "Keep it to yourself!" Spirit's face turned as red as his hair, "I don't mind fighting you! This girl isn't worth a damn!" Spirit looked ready to kill. Shinigami-sama intervened, "Spirit! Kid!" He raised his large hand threateningly. Spirit shouted, "Why don't you just leave?" Fuming, he stormed past Maka and shoved her shoulder in the process.

Kid looked pumped; Maka could tell that he would rather be beating Spirit than chatting with his father. Shinigami-sama sighed, "I'm sorry, Maka. He's just…He hasn't been in a good mood lately." After a moment of silence, Maka asked quietly, "Why do all of you know me? Just what is going on here?" Kid stared at her oddly. Shinigami-sama replied, "I would've thought Kiddo told you all of this from the get-go." Kid shrunk back, ashamed.

"I can't tell you this story, Maka, because I know nothing of it. All I know is that for some reason that you left us. I have no further information to give you. Kiddo knows more of the story than anyone, and I'm sure he'd be more than willing to tell you what he knows." Maka turned her attention to Kid, who looked away from her stubbornly.

"Please…?" Maka begged and put a hand on his shoulder. He stiffened from the contact but would not face her. "No," he insisted."I guess there's nothing we can do then…" Shinigami-sama sighed, "You might as well go back to the house. If you need to speak to me, Kiddo can either take a message or bring you to me. Okay~?"He made a thumbs-up with his huge glove-like hands. "Yes sir. Thank you," She bowed respectfully as Kid said, "Have a good day, Father."

Kid left the room and started down the hallway as Maka tried to follow. "Wait up!" Maka shouted. He was walking really fast. "Kid!" He finally stopped moving which gave Maka a chance to catch up. "Hey, are you okay…?" She glanced at his face to see if something was wrong. He looked close to tears. "What's wrong?" Maka had concern written on her face.

"It's nothing…Just…Old memories," Kid blinked a few times before walking again; though a bit slower. "Alright…" Maka felt guilty for not being able to comfort Kid like he always did for her. He wouldn't even tell her what was wrong…

Sadly, Kid had been silent the entire trip back; making Maka feel uneasy. Once they arrived at the mansion, it was about 5:30 P.M. Patty ran to Maka the minute she walked through the doors screaming, "Maka, Maka~! Dinner's ready! Liz and I made it 'specially for you~!" And without much of a warning, Maka was being dragged by the younger Thompson sister again; Kid reluctantly following.

Dinner wasn't…the greatest meal in the world. There was chicken that was still raw, cold corn, burnt toast, dirty potatoes, and bananas that looked like they went bad months ago. "It took us _all_ day to make it!" Patty giggled as she peeled one of the brown bananas. "Er, yeah! It looks great…" Being polite, Maka took a bite out of a burnt piece of toast. She forced herself to swallow and said, "Thank you…"

The rest of the group (Liz, Patty, and Kid), were wolfing the food down as if it were a Thanksgiving Feast that was prepared by a five-star chef. Maka couldn't understand why, since it all tasted like a TV dinner that wasn't in the microwave long enough; with the exception of the taste of dirt.

Once all of the food was gone, (to Maka's relief) they all bid each other goodnight. Maka lay in her bed comfortably. Maybe_ this_ would be thenight that she went to sleep normally? As was about to fall asleep, she remembered something very important. _Come to the Park at 8PM on Saturday._ She sat bolt upright. _What time is it now? _

Maka peeked at the digital alarm clock to the side. It read: **7:30**. _I'm going to be late! How am I supposed to get out of here? _She looked around frantically. She didn't want to keep them, her friends, waiting. Her eyes laid upon the window. _Perfect…! _She glanced to where her door was. No one watching. She then made her way to the glass. _Don't leave him again, he'll be devastated! _A strong shout echoed in her mind.

Maka continued anyway. She jumped out of the window although she was a few flights from the ground; it didn't hurt at all. Once she landed safely, she double-checked that no one had seen her. So far, so good. She broke off into a run to where the Park was. Under any normal circumstances, she would have no idea where to go, but after riding on Beelzebub a couple of times she had a pretty good idea of where it was.

There were a lot of trees at this point. Maka was surprised at her own endurance; she had never run this long before and still not be tired. She figured that she must've been nearing the Park, it seemed like she'd been running for hours. She wondered fleetingly if anyone back at the Mansion knew if she was missing yet.

Just as soon as she thought this, Maka started seeing familiar trees with marks like, _Black*Star was her! _and _I AM GOD!_ Maka smiled inwardly at these as she thought, _Black*Star is such an idiot… _As she came into the clearing that she assumed that they'd been referring to, she slowed down into a walk. To her delight, there they were, standing in the area. Maka beamed at them, "It's been a while!"

Soul and Black*Star whirled around to greet her. "Maka!" Soul looked absolutely ecstatic to see her alright. "Thought you weren't coming," Black*Star chuckled. "Er, what time is it?" Maka felt suddenly nervous. How long _did _it take for her to get here? "Almost 10 O'clock." Maka took a big breath, "I left at 7:30 though…" Soul's eyes widened, "Wow! You've been running for that long…? What a faraway place…"

"Now, Maka. Tell us _everything _about these people and this place. No one will hear us here," Black*Star said loudly. "Okay, so …"

_I should go make sure Maka is okay… _Kid thought as he put a bookmark in his book and set it to the side. As he strolled to where Maka's bedroom was, he saw Spirit stalk off somewhere, looking mighty suspicious. Kid decided to ignore him for the moment and knocked on her door, "Maka, can I come in?" No response. He opened the door to see an empty bed and an open window. _Odd_, he thought, _Maybe she's with Liz and Patty?_

Kid moved with purpose through the hallways this time. He didn't bother with knocking on their doors, and just barged into Liz's room. Both Liz and Patty were watching some kind of drama and turned to Kid; they seemed excited but when they noticed that it was him their smiles faded. "What are you doing in here, Kid?" Kid's eyes darted around the room, "Is Maka in here with you?" Liz looked confused. "No, what's wrong?" Kid said quickly, "I can't find her anywhere!" He ran out of the room in search of her. Liz and Patty glanced at each other before jumping up and running out of the vicinity.

Kid racked his brain for any ideas of where she could be. _Kitchen? No, we just ate…In search of Stein? No, Stein's out…Spirit? No, I told her not to trust him… Bathroom?_ He saw a door left ajar which he recognized as a bathroom. He immediately opened the door and looked for any clues. _Maka's clothes…Maybe…? _Kid reached for her clothes and felt something vibrate. "Huh?" He investigated the attire for any evidence.

The boy pulled out a phone from the jeans pocket and instantly knew what it was. He flipped it open and read the _New Message!_ "Soul? Who is that…?" _Wait a sec, the guy that was in her memory…and, the good for nothing guy that I told her was using her…She's missing him…What were they talking about? _Kid read the messages from both Soul and Black*Star. _The Park? No…She couldn't have possibly…! _Kid then sprinted off.

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><p><em><strong>(More Author's Notes: Spirit's having some major mood swings, huh? Well, it'll make since later...So don't flame me for it please! v.v)<strong> _


	5. Past, Present, and Future

_**(Author's Notes: Okay, finally got this up. I had some really bad writer's block, I didn't even want to finish the chapter... But here it is! And, because of the lack of inspiration the story may not flow the way I had intended it to. Hopefully it will turn out alright. I'll stop my rambling now...)**_

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><p><em><strong>10:13 P.M.<strong>_

"So, you're saying that this 'Death' guy is keeping you captive in his mansion?" Soul said angrily. "Yes, Soul. And for the last time, his _name_ is Kid!" Maka exclaimed. Black*Star watched as the two started arguing about something that went along the lines of escaping. He would've joined in, but something didn't feel quite right, and it put him off. He had a sick sense that someone, or _something _was lurking about. His eyes darted around; trying to find what was putting him on edge.

"Guys, something's wrong." Maka and Soul immediately stopped their fight to turn to Black*Star. "What do you mean?" Soul questioned anxiously. "I mean that something evil is around here. I can feel it. It's not good." Black*Star's face remained emotionless.

Suddenly, Black*Star jumped backwards onto a tree and threw a knife at where he was moments ago. _Where'd he get the knife? _"Dude, what's—""MOVE SOUL!" Black*Star shouted. Soul only stared back at him quizzically before getting thrown back by an unknown force. He hit a tree's trunk and fell back unconscious. "Damn it!" Black*Star cursed loudly.

Maka was about to dash to her fallen friend when an ominous voice spoke, "_How convenient! I thought that maybe after that time you'd be more careful! Even after you were warned continuously…" _The blood from Maka's face drained. She had completely forgotten about how dangerous the darkness was, and that she was surrounded in it! The voice boomed with laughter.

"Look out, Maka!" Black*Star lunged toward her and pushed her so hard that she flew to where Soul was. "_You can see…" _The genderless voice said angrily, "_You will not live for that!_" The shadows grew until Maka could not see anything at all. She reached out to where she thought Soul was and to her relief, he was still there. Remembering her other friend, she tentatively said, "Black*Star…?"

A moment after Maka spoke, an agonizingly painful scream sounded. She recognized this as Black*Star immediately. She left Soul without a second thought and just ran. She ended up in a familiar clearing surrounded by trees. _Have I been here before…?_ She lingered on the thought for less than a second. There were more pressing matters at the moment…

Black*Star had to be somewhere around here, right? "Where is he?" Maka demanded, hardly hiding the fear she felt. There was laughter again; _very_ strong laughter that made Maka nervous. "_Dead…He deserves what he got. Just like that ridiculous girl from weeks ago. Being able to see…" _

Maka could not believe it. The darkness had killed Black*Star and Tsubaki? He was just there though… "_It's your turn now…And this time, no one can protect you. Not even your __**mother**__." _Maka couldn't feel her legs. She tried to move them but they would not budge. The same feeling crept upon her arms, and ultimately her entire body until she could no longer shift at all. Her breathing picked up. _This is the end, after all… _Maka thought grimly. She was starting to feel sleepy, very sleepy… She saw Tsubaki and Black*Star over the way, beckoning her over…Her eyes started to droop…All she had to do was walk over…

_No! You can't let it end like this! NO! _Maka's eyes snapped open as a warm sensation enveloped her. "_What?" _ Light seemed to be emanating from Maka, somewhere from deep within her soul… "_It's not possible…! She should be dead!_" The perpetual darkness along with the voice faded. The moon cackled from overhead as Maka collapsed. (_**A/N: This above section time ends at 10:34; so below is, pretty much, meanwhile but in a different location.)**_

_**10:22 P.M.**_

_What if I'm too late? _Kid ran as fast as he could through the forest. _I can't lose her again…If I find her; I'll keep her with me at all times. She'll never be out of my sight again. Please…! Please be okay! _He could sense a soul nearby, but couldn't tell who it belonged to. _Maybe… _When he reached the person he had no idea who it was.

But maybe he knew something? Kid shook the boy vigorously awake. With a pained groan, the white headed teen mumbled, "Wha's-goin-on?" Kid asked quickly, "Do you know who Maka Albarn is?" The other boy visibly tensed at this. "Maka…Wait…Oh no! What happened? Where's Black*Star?" He jumped up and started searching around.

"I knew it! She shouldn't have gone out at all!" Kid hit his head against the tree angrily, "The darkness must have gotten her! I can't feel her soul at all… I'm so _stupid_!" Kid bellowed. "I don't know what you're talking about, but Maka should be fine, Black*Star's with her; and she's strong…" Kid cursed loudly before saying, "You don't understand! The darkness is relentless, and it _wants _Maka badly!"

"Whatever! I'm going to go find Maka!" Soul started walking off, fuming. "Wait…" Kid looked away from the tree he had been using to abuse himself as Soul stopped pacing. "What is it?" Kid started running as he said over his shoulder, "I see her! Maka's soul!" Soul stared incredulously at him for a moment before following; obviously not believing that he could see her 'soul.'

As Kid neared Maka's location, he saw her fall, "Maka!" Soul ran to her but the other boy beat him to it. Kid caught her before she reached the ground and pressed his thumb against her wrist. "There's a pulse…" Kid sighed from relief, "Just collapsed from exhaustion." he picked her up as Soul stated, "Where is Black*Star?"

"Who is Black*Star?" Kid stared at Soul skeptically. "He was with Maka when I passed out. Blue hair, in the shape of a star, my height…" Kid shook his head, "There is nobody else here. Impossible." _What the hell? What a weird guy…_ "Look, he was here when I got thrown at that tree!" Soul shouted angrily. "There isn't a soul nearby. Now, Maka needs her rest," Kid took a step as if to leave when Soul grabbed his shoulder. "Where are you taking her? Abducting her again?" Kid turned to Soul and glared daggers, "I'm taking her home. If you don't trust me, then you're welcome to join us, but she will not be leaving the mansion again."

"Yeah, yeah. I'll go," Soul mumbled and walked beside Kid in silence all the way to the mansion.

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><p>"Where was she? Is she okay?" Liz and Patty raced to Kid, ignoring the other boy. "I found her at the Park. She met with some <em>friends<em>," he spat the word like it was venom. Soul kept his silence as he surveyed the other people. They took Maka to her room and laid her on the bed. Kid sat down on the floor beside Maka, watching her. "Kid…?" Liz and Patty thought that they were going to give her time to herself for sleep. Soul too took a seat on the floor. "Never again." Soul looked up to Kid curiously. "I will _never _let this happen again. She will be watched 24/7. I will stay in here all night if I have to."

Liz and Patty exchanged looks before sneaking out. Soul still had not said a word. Silence. "Who are you?" Kid asked out of nowhere. Expecting this, Soul replied, "Soul Evans." Kid did not look pleased to hear this. In fact, he looked somewhat disgusted. "What are you to her? Just…how did you meet?" Soul glowered at him before saying rudely, "What's it to you?"

"Answer it." Kid said firmly. Soul sighed and watched Maka as he spoke, "A year ago, I was a troubled kid. Family problems, getting into fights, you know. Well, at that time, I got into a big argument with my parents. They wanted me to play piano all the time. _Uncool_. I rejected the idea and we started yelling at each other. After that, I just left. Needed to vent. I ended up at the park. Always where I went when I needed to relax.

"It was that place where we found Maka earlier. The _exact _same clearing that I saw her for the first time. She was laying there, unconscious, looking battered. I went to her immediately and tried to wake her up. When she didn't move, I thought that she was dead, but she opened her eyes and looked at me. The first thing that she said was, 'Who are you?' This is normal, but after that, she said, 'Where am I? …Who am I?'

"I stared at her in disbelief. I had only read about people losing their memory, you know. I thought that maybe she had been in shock from something, so I helped her up and took her to an apartment. We lived there together. She…was the turning point for my life. I thank her for it. She sees me as a friend…but…I love her more than anything." Soul admitted.

Kid was not happy. This boy had a bigger place in Maka's heart than he did. Even though he only spent one year with her… He even openly admitted that he was in love with her. She obviously felt something more than friendship for him. Kid wanted him to disappear; to have never been in Maka's life. All he could muster to say was, "I see."

"How do you know Maka? What is she to you?" Soul repeated. Kid contemplated on how to answer this. Surely he wouldn't give this information to his rival? "We have a bit of a history, Maka and I. We knew each other when we were very young. She had many traumatic experiences. Her mother dying, her father drinking… The man never did grow out of it…

"Anyway, we were happy together. She learned how to smile. When things were finally alright again, she disappeared. I never knew what happened exactly. And, for an entire year, I searched for her but could not find anything. Until, one day, I saw her when going to my father's school…She's a very important person to me."

Soul looked thoughtful for a moment. "That makes sense. But, how did she lose her memory, then?" Kid groaned without Soul hearing him. Just how many times would he have to rethink these very things? It had already caused him enough pain… "I assume that it has to do with the darkness." Soul stared quizzically, obviously unsure what he meant by that. "There is a living essence that can only travel when it is dark. It wishes to become powerful, but to do that it must feast upon the soul of a special person. This person is Maka.

"The moment she was born it was decided. The 'darkness' made many attempts to capture her. But she never knew, because someone very strong protected her throughout her childhood. Now that this person is gone, she no longer has this protection and is therefore at risk."

"But, wouldn't she be fine if she was always in the light?" Soul wondered. Kid thought of a way to answer his question, "Well, yes and no. It is true that the 'darkness' cannot hope to get to her while there is light, but I have reason to believe that someone has been helping it and is prodding her to it. I keep my suspicions to myself, though."

Just as Kid finished his sentence, the door opened and Spirit walked in emotionlessly. "I heard that she had been attacked…? Poor girl…" He did not look like he cared in the least as he pressed his hand on the unconscious girl's face. "I would've thought that the darkness would've done more than this, though. With how much it yearns for her. Surely something must've happened?" He looked slyly at Kid.

Kid said with underlying malice, "She needs her rest, Spirit. Leave her be." Spirit side-glanced at Soul and changed the subject, "Another person? Just how many people are you going to bring into the mansion?" Soul didn't appreciate the comment. "That doesn't matter to you. It's _my _mansion." Spirit sighed and said to himself, "First those sisters, then these two," He continued to Kid, "It does matter to me. I live here too, under your Father's orders."

"If you live here, how come you're always gone? Never around?" Kid asked. Spirit started towards the door as he replied, "Top secret, Kiddo." Kid stared defiantly at the retreating frame of the man. When he was out of earshot, Kid mumbled, "I _hate _that man."

"I can see why," Soul replied calmly, "But back to the main discussion…If the darkness wanted her so badly, then why wasn't she gone today?" Soul stared intently at the other boy. Kid said, "The only way for us to know what truly happened is by asking her. When she wakes up, I plan on figuring this out."

Soul sighed. That wasn't the answer he wanted to hear. After a long pause, Soul asked, "Does Maka know any of this? About the darkness." Kid turned his attention back to Maka's resting face as he spoke, "No. All I told her was that the darkness itself is dangerous. I don't plan on telling her what I just told you. It'd be too much. Besides, it'd make her ask questions about her past…"

"What's wrong with that? Shouldn't she have the right to know everything about herself?" Soul inquired heatedly. Kid outstretched his arm and pressed his hand on Maka's face. He seemed to be waiting for a response from the unconscious girl, but none came. "I've thought of this already. I told myself that if she asked about it that I would tell her. But…" He paused, looking for the right words, "When she asks, I freeze. Can't get it across. She'd hate me if she knew how much I've been hiding from her…"

Soul stared at the hand Kid had put on Maka's face. He didn't like that. "I think that she'd appreciate it if you told her, it's not my place…" He practically growled. "Yes, yes…I get that enough from my father…"

"Just one more question. You said that you could see her 'soul.' What do you mean?" Kid expected this. He probably had said more than he ought to earlier. "I'm a shinigami."

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><p><strong><em>(More Author's Notes: How was that? Good? Bad? Terrible? Well, I figured this was a good place to end it. The story is not over...Still some loose ends, that I hope that you have noticed, and if you can guess who the secret 'darkness' helper is, I'll...Er...Give you some candy! :D)<em>**


	6. Welcome Back!

_**(Author's Notes: Ugh, sorry for another late chapter! I was working on plot development, and I added some fluff to this chapter since there isn't much. Hopefully it isn't too bad... Again, sorry for the wait!) **_

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><p>"A-A shinigami?" Soul's eyes widened. "Yes. Our job is to keep everything in order. When it is time for humans to pass on, we take them. When something threatens to take their life when it is not their time, we will stop it. My father gives me missions specifically. And as for the 'darkness,' it has been a major problem to us. Obviously since it continues to kill; and because it wants to become immortal."<p>

It was quiet after that. Soul was trying to piece together all of the information Kid had just told him, and Kid himself was staring contentedly into space. After ages, Soul couldn't keep awake any longer, and fell back, snoring. _What a mess. How could she deal with him? _Kid glared at the boy sprawled on the floor.

Hours passed, and the only sounds heard were birds chirping, Soul's snoring, and the constant rustling of bushes outside. At one point, Liz had brought sandwiches into the room, but they were left uneaten. Getting bored, Kid twirled Maka's phone around, investigating it. It was a faded blue, with black around the edges. The phone had a lot of scratches, and the buttons were worn out. It really wasn't anything special, and Kid had decided that later he would get her a new one.

Kid browsed through the pictures and frowned. There were lots of pictures with the boy Soul. Then there was a picture of a boy with spiky, blue hair. _Who is this? _He gazed at the photo for a long time. _Oh, right. Maybe it is that other friend of hers, 'Black*Star'? What an odd name…Why does she have so many pictures of these boys? _

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><p><em>Maka stood in a completely white room with no openings. She looked around for some way to escape, but failed. "Where am I?" The question echoed throughout the room and went unanswered. Instead, a relatively friendly voice greeted, "Hello." The sound was so familiar, that Maka couldn't stop herself from asking, "Who are you?" There was silence that followed, until finally it resonated, "You know the answer to that." <em>

_Maka wasn't sure what she was supposed to do. After a moment, she decided on continuing the conversation, "What are you?" The voice did not answer at all and there was an uncanny silence. Maka looked around nervously, "Why did you help me?" Again, there wasn't an immediate response. "You are an important person. If you were to die, so would I, and everyone else. You must understand that the darkness is very powerful and wants to devour your soul. I…can't assist you right now. I have used a lot of my energy against the darkness to save you. That is why, I must go." The words echoed sadly. _

"_But you just got here?" Maka spluttered out. She didn't understand what was happening. "Yes…I had to make sure that you knew that I could not protect you right now. Listen to what Kid says, no matter what. Treat him right and be sure to care for him." This person had saved Maka's life and tried to get her to make the right decisions. She didn't want it to leave already. "Wait, don't go! What am I supposed to do?" _

_The voice sounded fainter this time, "I'll return…Soon…" "No, wait! Please, don't…Go…" Somehow, as the presence of the other person disappeared, so did the white room; leaving darkness in its wake. _

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><p>Maka's eyes opened. She saw her usual room, along with two people sitting on the floor. She didn't bother with checking who it was; she was preoccupied with a terrible, empty feeling. Even though she had technically <em>just <em>met the person, it felt like she had lost another dear friend. Hoping that it would release some of the pain, Maka groaned and sat up.

"Maka! You're…Finally awake," someone had jumped up and was giving Maka a big, bear hug. "Eh," another person slurred, "Oi…Maka!" The first person was pushed off of Maka by the other. "How are you feeling?" Maka looked at the two individuals and recognized them as Kid and Soul; Kid obviously being the one that was pushed away.

"Er…I'm okay…How did I get here…?" Maka's voice was a lot softer than she intended. "Well—""I brought you back." Kid cut Soul off briefly. "Tell me everything that happened," Kid said firmly. Maka hesitated for a moment, but told them everything, from the point when Soul blacked out to the point when she passed out, in great detail. She expressed her worry for Black*Star, too. "Is it really gone?" Soul inquired.

"No. It simply fled. It couldn't be extinguished that way, it probably ran to somewhere with no light." Kid concluded. Maka's hope disappeared. _It will still come after me… _"What about Black*Star?" Maka asked almost inaudibly. Kid frowned. He didn't want to be the one to confirm it. "He has left this world. When I arrived, his soul was nowhere to be seen. The darkness…devoured it."

Maka couldn't keep the tears in anymore, and in her haste to hide them, she went to the nearest source of comfort. She sobbed, "T-That's two of my f-friends! When will it be over? W-Will Soul have to die too? I don't have my p-parents anymore either…What am I supposed to d-do? Am I going to die t-too?" Someone's arms wrapped around her and patted her back gently. It whispered into her ear, "Don't worry. I'm here. I won't leave you. Soul won't have to die, either. He can stay here, where he is safe. And you won't die, I promise…" He continued to tell her comforting things as the other boy watched sadly.

"Am I safe h-here?" Maka sniveled. "Of course. This house is under constant protection," he said consolingly as he pulled away and gently kissed her cheek. It was…Soothing. The tears that had yet to fall ebbed away. "T-Thank you," Maka sniffed one last time, "Really, thank you…" Soul watched the other two with a grimace. He was _not_ enjoying watching the love of his life hug and kiss someone _else_ on a bed.

Wanting to break it up, Soul started speaking. "Oi, Shinigami-dude," Maka looked at Soul indignantly, "What happened to Maka's mom? I mean, if the 'darkness' mentioned her, what really happened?" Maka had wanted to know the answer to this question herself, so she pulled away from Kid to look at him, who was waiting patiently.

"She died from sickness," Kid said simply. Soul stared at him in disbelief and inquired sharply, "Then, if it was like that, then why would the darkness talk about her mom? How did she get sick?" He added quickly. "I think that's enough questions from you, today." Soul glared at Kid angrily before standing up abruptly, "I assume that you'll be fine, Maka. Would you point me to the bathroom?" Kid wanted to laugh at him for having such little self-control, but held it in. "Once out of the room, go left, it's on the end of the hall." Soul made his way out the door and mumbled something that sounded like, "Thanks."

There was silence that followed. It was obvious that Kid wanted to say something, but didn't know how to. He drummed his fingers nervously on his knee. He stared at Maka for a few minutes before finally speaking quietly, "Why? Maka…Why do you keep leaving me? …Do you hate me?" He gazed into her eyes, making sure that she'd tell the truth. "W-Why would I hate you?" Taken aback by the question, she said what came to mind first.

Kid moaned as if injured and fell back onto the pillows. He racked his brains for reasons, and closed his eyes in the process, "I must be a terrible shinigami…You always leave me…Do I have no charm? It must feel absolutely _dreadful _to be in my presence…Maybe I look unpleasant or—""That's not it at all!" Maka interjected loudly. Kid's eyes opened questioningly. She had a defiant look on her features and her hands were clenched on her lap. "Then why?"

"You're not unpleasant at all…I just…wanted to see my friends. I was worried about them. And…I do NOT hate you," Maka blushed at her last statement. She hadn't really thought through what she was saying. Kid did not look quite convinced. "Prove it." "Huh?" Maka glanced at him, he was dead-serious. "Prove that you don't hate me." _Er… _Maka tried to think of ways to do this. _Prove that I don't hate him? But…How would I do that? _

Kid was watching all of her movements intently. He was curious at what Maka was going to do, even if he was sure that she wasn't going to do anything. Even so, he couldn't help but get his hopes up.

_He's a nice person…And he's always looked after me…That first time, on this bed. He wanted something…Maybe…He wanted to kiss? That makes sense! But… _Maka blushed furiously at her own thoughts, _I've never kissed anyone before…At least, of what I can remember. Well, he doesn't look that bad…Kinda cute… I can…try it, I guess…No one that kisses hates each other, right? I hope he'd like it… _

Maka, who was still blushing, leaned toward the shinigami that was lying on the bed. Kid went stiff as he realized what she was going to do. This was what he had wanted her to do since she (as far back as she can remember right now) first came to the mansion. Kid instinctively leaned in as well; and caught her lips automatically. It was a delicate and gentle kiss. He tasted of sweet strawberries, with a minty flavor with it. Maka's heart was hammering in her chest; she kept seeing flashes of her and Kid together. They went by so quickly, that Maka couldn't tell what it was about when the door suddenly opened.

"Oi, sorry about the wait. I got lost on the way back," Soul looked at the two on the bed. Apparently Maka had jumped away from Kid just in time so that Soul did not see them kissing. Soul stared at Maka's blushing face, "What's wrong?" Kid answered for her, "Nothing. We were just about to get some food. Right, Maka?" He winked at her without Soul seeing. From his expression, Maka could tell that he was pleased with what she did. Still a little red in the face, Maka and the two boys made their way to the kitchen. _How can he act like this happens all the time? And…What was with those memories?_

"Oh, before I forget…" Kid interrupted Maka's thoughts, "Here's your phone. Remind me to get you a new one later." He handed her the phone, causing their fingers to brush. Maka flushed and stuffed the phone into her pocket. Seemingly satisfied with the reaction, Kid turned and lead the rest of the way while Soul watched curiously.

As they began to eat, Liz and Patty soon joined them. The two sisters became acquainted with Soul quickly, and were soon making jokes at random as Kid laughed along with them. Noticing the change in the shinigami's usual behavior, Liz questioned with a smirk, "Did something good just happen? You seem a bit on overkill even if Maka is back with us." Kid gave her a big smile, "Of course, I'm ecstatic that Maka is back safely."

While the others began conversing about other things, Maka's thoughts drifted off. _My mom…What was the sickness that killed her? _She absentmindedly twirled her phone like Kid had done hours ago. _Huh? Where did all these scratches come from? …I remember buying it right before getting taken here… _

"Hey, Kid," Maka started as said boy turned to her inquiringly, "Did you scratch my phone?" Everyone had stopped talking to listen to the pair. "No, it was like that when I found it the first time…" _I don't think that I realized it earlier…I was too busy texting Soul and Black*Star…Were these scratches here before? _"I can get you a new one, though. Don't worry." Kid watched her worriedly. "Oh, no! It's okay, I was just wondering…"

_Just what is my relationship with Kid? We must've known each other before…But…What did it used to be and what is it now? I think…I might like him more than a friend. Those memories… What could they mean?_


	7. Premonitions

_**(Author's Notes: Gosh, it's been a while! I had to go on vacation with my family to visit my grandparents, who despise anything not made before the 1900's... Needless to say I wasn't allowed to get on my computer or internet. I'm so sorry, but I'm back now and I hope you are still reading this story!)**_

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><p>"<em>It's him! I'm sure of it!" Kid shouted loudly, Maka standing by his side.<em>

"_I have complete trust in him, Kiddo," Shinigami-sama raised his voice dangerously. _

"_Father, how can you be so sure? He's always sneaking around! I'm sure that he's the one who's helping the darkness!" _

"_Kiddo, I have given you my answer." There was an edge to Shinigami-sama's voice. _

"_But… Maka is in danger! You cannot deny that fact." Kid shot back. Maka stared helplessly. _

Maka lay sleeping soundlessly in her bed, alone. Even though Kid had promised never to leave her again, it was nearly impossible to do it every second of the day and since she had complained about her lack of privacy. So, he used special enchantments that Maka had never seen nor heard of before to seal the windows. There were invisible barriers there so she could still look outside when she wanted, but wouldn't let her pass. Apparently it was casted for her especially since the breeze could still be felt, and things that weren't a part of Maka could be thrown out of the window.

The sun crept over the cloud cover, letting the sunlight into the room. As it rested on Maka's face, she grumbled about how the sun shouldn't be allowed to wake people up so early. She rolled over and let sleep take over once again without a second thought.

"_Maka…Yes…It's ALL your fault!" Maka felt a hard slap. She wanted to retaliate, to hit this man back, but her arms and legs were bound. _

_Maka could feel thin fingers tracing her bare skin. "You're so soft…" she could feel hatred pulse through her body. "Interesting…Now, girl," the man pulled her hair, hard._

"_I'm going to have some fun…" Maka's vision was blurred; she couldn't make out who it was. Suddenly, it felt as if there was fire running through her veins; it burned her flesh. She was screaming, but no one came to save her. _

_The man laughed manically at her shrieks. Her body felt so raw, the blood had been exhausted, but it still hurt, and he continued to laugh. She heard the whizzing of machines, and it felt as if it were all over… _

"MAKA! It's okay, it's just a dream!" Kid shouted to be heard over the loud yells. He pressed two fingers over the unconscious, crying girl's forehead. The physical pain Maka had felt disappeared but even though it was _gone _she could still feel it. It was like torture inside her head.

Maka couldn't stop herself at all. The pain was unbearable, where had it come from? "It's alright…Just another nightmare…" Kid soothed gently as he brushed the tears away with his sleeve. He always knew how to make her feel better even in the worst times.

"Thank you, Kid…" Maka sniffed. "It's no problem…Do you feel better now?" Kid watched her concernedly. "Yes…It was just a bad dream…Just a bad dream…" Maka mumbled the last part, trying to tell herself that it was true.

"We're going to see my Father today," Kid blurted out suddenly. Maka looked at him questioningly, "Why?" "Even though I'm sure he already knows; you need to tell him what happened with the Darkness. You can't forget that your friend was a student at Father's school."

Maka's emotions seemed to be on a rollercoaster all the time. At some points she was happy, usually with Kid, and others, she was frightened, with the Darkness, and even more, she got depressed thinking about her old friends that were no longer with her. She usually experienced these every day which was extremely tiring.

"Oh…" Maka averted her eyes away from Kid's, knowing that they were getting a bit wet. "Oh, I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…Maka…" Kid squeezed her hand. Maka blinked a few times, getting rid of the unshed tears. "It's fine…You didn't do it on purpose…" She gave him a shaky smile.

Deciding it would be better to steer the subject away from Black*Star, Kid informed, "We'll be leaving within the hour…Is that okay?" "Er…Yeah, I just have to change." She looked expectantly at Kid who simply nodded. She waited a second, figuring that he was just kidding, then said slowly, "I'm going to change now, so…" She hoped he understood what she meant.

He didn't. Kid was determined to stay until he was forced to leave. He _did _want to see her change… While he was lost in his thoughts, Maka called, "I'll be back in a few minutes." Kid turned around just to see her close the door. Kid sighed as he mumbled, "Just like Maka…She never did change clothes in front of me…Even if I asked…"

As Kid and Maka arrived at the school, they realized that it was still in session. A bit hesitantly, Maka followed Kid through the doors. Spirit waddled out, obviously drunk. He looked as if he were going to say something spiteful, but resolved against it. They walked past each other, ignoring the other party entirely. The halls were deserted and Maka decided that the classes had just started. She was wrong.

Just as the pair were about to the Chairman's Office, a bell Maka immediately recognized rang out. She instinctively looked up at where she knew it was and panic struck as she saw the doors around them start to open. What would her other friends think? What would they say?

As the kids from Maka's class spilled out of their room, the ones in the front stopped dead in their tracks; the others behind them complained at first about the hold-up until they saw what the first ones were gawking at. "Is that…Maka Albarn?"

A few of them made quick strides to where Maka was while others pretended not to notice her, despite their constant staring. "Maka! It's nice to see you!" A friend came up and greeted her, "It's been so long…Are you doing okay? I'll talk to you soon because I can't be late again, my parents would kill me if I was…" As the student started continuing to their next lesson after a quick goodbye, one girl walked up confidently, "Where have you _been_? We heard that your mom died or something, and that you were taking days off. But remember how Soul told us about how he found you? So we knew that was a big lie, obviously. Black*Star let it slip that you were kidnapped and…" The chatterbox girl just then noticed Kid. "Who is this?"

Kid stared at her, "Excuse me, but Maka and I have business to take care of with my Father over there." The girl visibly looked behind herself and then stared in awe at Kid. "You're _the_ Chairman's son? I'm sorry about being rude earlier…I was just worried about Maka…Oh, I heard that you were cute and all, but this is hard to believe!"

The talkative student grabbed Kid's shoulders and leaned to his ear, whispering just loud enough for Maka to hear. "If you wait until after class, I can show you a good time…My parents are on vacation and the house is empty…" Maka didn't understand what she was talking about. How did having a good time have to do with her parents not being home?

Kid on the other hand, knew exactly what she was referring to. The girl was about to kiss him but Kid pushed her away. His yellow eyes glowed dangerously as he glared at her, "I'll have to pass. I can only have fun with Maka, and Maka only," he continued lower so that Maka couldn't hear him, "Don't get the wrong idea. If you tell anyone about this, you'll regret it. Remember, I'm _the_ Chairman's son." Kid mimicked her.

"Come on," Kid pulled Maka past the dumbstruck girl. Once out of earshot from anyone, Maka wondered, "What did she mean? 'Showing you a good time'? Soul didn't tell me about anything like this…"

"It's a good thing he didn't…" Kid murmured absentmindedly. Before Maka asked again, Kid knocked on the door that read _Chairman's Office_. No one answered. Kid stated, "Father, we need to talk to you. Maka and Death the Kid, that is." A rustle of papers within the room was heard. "Come in."

Kid quickly rushed Maka in and shut the door so no one would be able to see inside of the room. It was dimly lit, just like the last time she was here. "I assume that you are alright, Maka-chan?" Maka nodded, then scolded herself for her stupidity and replied, "Yes sir." "I can see you from here, shinigami eyes can see through regular darkness…" He chuckled at her.

"I would've come to visit you, but I cannot leave this school…" Shinigami-sama continued on. "Oh, it's fine, sir. I'm alright now." Maka assured. She looked around the room idly; the brightest thing was Kid's yellow eyes, which were glinting. He caught her gaze quickly and stared back. "Maka, tell him what happened…"

Maka realized that she had been looking at Kid entirely too long, and blushed. "Yeah, right…" Maka explained yet again what had happened on the night of her most recent Darkness encounter. She came to the decision that she would somehow get rid of the Darkness in honor of Tsubaki and Black*Star during her recollection. She tried not to linger on his death, though.

Once she finished all that she could remember, Kid continued on to the part in which he found her. "Obviously the Darkness is not finished." Kid affirmed. Shinigami-sama 'hmm-ed' thoughtfully, "I think you are right, Kiddo."

"Which brings me to my next point…There's got to be someone helping the Darkness." Kid's statement went without response. Maka watched on; the atmosphere suddenly became tense.

"Father…It's Spirit." Shinigami-sama moved uncomfortably and Maka knew that he disagreed.

"It's him! I'm sure of it!" Kid shouted loudly, Maka standing by his side.

"I have complete trust in him, Kiddo," Shinigami-sama raised his voice dangerously.

"Father, how can you be so sure? He's always sneaking around! I'm sure that he's the one who's helping the darkness!"

"Kiddo, I have given you my answer." There was an edge to Shinigami-sama's voice.

"But… Maka is in danger! You cannot deny that fact." Kid shot back. Maka stared helplessly.

"Kid, Spirit is my most trusted friend, and you know, just as well as he does, that deep down he doesn't want to hurt her." Kid ground his teeth out of frustration. "Kiddo, you shouldn't hold it against him. It was a long time ago. You know how badly he feels about it…"

"He shouldn't have done it in the first place then!" Kid didn't want to believe what his Father was telling him. _What are they talking about? What did Spirit do? Kid has always been a bit unhappy with him…_

"If you don't believe in me Father, I'll be taking my leave." Kid grabbed Maka's hand and turned on his heel to go. "Kiddo…" Kid didn't slam the door, but closed it with the kind of force that made it obvious that he wasn't satisfied with their meeting.

Kid stormed down the hallway. His grip on Maka's hand was very tight; it felt as if it were strong enough to break the bones in her hand. He didn't seem to realize it, either. She tried to wiggle it out, but it was impossible. Just as the pain was getting agonizing, she uttered out, "Kid…!" He turned around to figure out what was wrong and immediately noticed the offense and let go.

"Damn it, I'm sorry…Maka, does it hurt? I usually don't lose my composure…" Green light streamed from each of Kid's fingers from his right hand in a steady flow. He tenderly touched her reddened hand where the flow of the stable emerald beam became out of control. Maka watched wide-eyed at the huge flash of green, unsure of what to do.

It took a minute, but Kid was able to stop it. "My magic…" Maka noticed that he looked a bit weak and supported him, an arm around his back. "Sorry…" Kid muttered. He was able to walk, but Maka wanted to be at least _some _help to him. "I used a lot of magic…I'll get better over time…Don't worry…Maka…"

Once out of the building, Maka realized something. "Kid…How are we going to get home?"

"Skateboard of course…"


	8. Build Up

_**(Author's Notes: Well, well... I really didn't want to give up on a story, so I am re-continuing this one! I really felt bad because a lot of my readers wanted to finish this, and finally gave in. I have a new inspiration for this, and sorry for that long wait. **_

_**I would suggest reading a little bit of the last chapter if you need to catch up!)**_

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><p>"But Kid…You can't use your magic to summon the skateboard," Maka pointed out. "I need to try." Kid was preparing to summon Beelzebub, but Maka quickly stopped him.<p>

"Let's just walk, okay? It'd be bad if you got hurt…" Maka made her concern obvious. Kid seemed to dislike the idea very much, but decided it was okay. Besides, it wasn't going to be dark for a long time. "Alright."

Hours and hours flew by as the pair continued their walk home. Kid was able to move by himself at this point, but couldn't use his magic quite yet. They talked about a lot of things, mostly about Kid. After all, Kid knew all about Maka, but she knew very little about him.

"So, if you can summon a flying skateboard and heal people…" Maka began with enthusiasm, "Can you do anything else?" Kid chuckled at her childishness. "Well…" He started slow on purpose, noticing her leaning in so as to hear every bit.

"I can see souls." He finished simply. Her eyes widened considerably before replying, "Silly, that's impossible…"

"It's true. You can too," Kid said, evidently surprised that she hadn't seen them before. "No, I can't…"

"Maka, remember when you saw me going into the Academy a while back? Your friend didn't see me, but your ability allowed you to spot me. But since it hasn't been used in so long, you couldn't make out my soul entirely, I'm sure. You probably saw me as I am now, correct?"

Maka merely nodded, for she was too stupefied to answer. "When I get my magic back, I'll help you regain your special ability. And prove to you that it _is_ real," He smirked.

She didn't respond. Something he said had bothered her. So much so that she barely absorbed the rest of the information he poured onto her.

Silence ebbed between them. Maka didn't know how to express what she wanted to say. She stopped walking, which caused Kid to turn almost immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Why do I have this 'special ability' to see souls? And why does the Darkness chase me instead of others?"

_I said too much…_ Kid thought bitterly. "Maka…"

"Please just tell me," Maka begged him. Kid didn't want to reply. He didn't want to scare her with the answers. He didn't want her to run again. "…I can't…"

Maka set her gaze downwards, upset with him. "Fine. I won't talk to you until you tell me everything," she said with fiery determination. "But Maka…"

She walked past him with a feisty "hmph," and continued on their trip. Kid caught up to her quickly and said, "Maka…Please don't do this…"

No reply came. Not even a glance.

Now, Kid was a mature fellow. He knew how to deal with this. But, the problem was… He was equally as stubborn.

The rest of the way home was in silence. When they finally did arrive, it was 3:42 in the afternoon. Soul had been passing by the main entrance at the time, and noticed them coming in. "Oh, where have you two been?"

"We were speaking to my father." Kid replied.

"Hi, Soul. What're you doing?" Maka was by his side within seconds. Kid just frowned.

"I was just going to get a movie to watch," He said.

"That's cool. Can I watch it with you?" She reached for his hand and stood close to him. "Uh, sure," he blushed uneasily.

As the two made their way to the movie room, Maka twisted her head around to look at Kid, and stuck her tongue out at him. Then she disappeared behind the door with Soul.

To say that Kid was 'on fire' was an understatement. She must've done it on purpose! Maka knew that Kid disliked her relationship with Soul greatly, and probably was trying to make him mad. Well, it certainly worked.

Kid punched the wall, leaving a permanent indent of his fist there. (Of course he quickly hit the wall opposite to ensure perfect symmetry.) He then made his way to his room, leaving an air of rage in his wake. Even though Liz and Patty were on the other side of the mansion they could still feel the tense atmosphere.

Kid finally made it into his room. He had to kick something. Anything. The next thing he knew he was kicking his bed.

"Honestly…" _That girl drives me crazy… _He finally regained the little self-control he had left and simply fell on the bed. "Perhaps it's time that I finally tell her…I know I can't last a day without her beautiful voice now that she's here…"

His thoughts turned back to the recent event. "She didn't have to go and do that…Hold his hand…" His hands involuntarily balled up into fists. Thinking about… _them_… Gave him a bad feeling in his stomach. "Doesn't she know that she is my most important person? That she is the only one who can make this… This god-forsaken heart beat…My one and only angel…"

* * *

><p>Spirit trudged out of the mansion quickly. He checked to make sure that no one was following him before rushing through the forest. He knew where he was going.<p>

_Almost there…_ He noted silently. Sure enough, a few minutes later Spirit wandered into what seemed to be an abandoned warehouse. At least, that was the cover-up.

Inside was a hospital bed in the center of the one-room place. There was a figure atop it, which highly resembled a woman. Everything was dark, so it was hard to make-out anything else.

Spirit rushed to the person on the bed. "Kami…I miss you, love." He touched her face which was deathly cold. "I'm trying my best to bring you back…" His hands started shaking, "I even finished the body, see? Once I find a way to get your soul, we can be together again…"

After staring at her for a few minutes he stumbled to one of the walls and pressed a button which lighted up the entire 'warehouse.' Machines were everywhere you looked. Some of which had large wires that were connected into the woman.

The largest of the wires was connected to the side of her neck, with 'LIFE ENERGY' printed in bold, red letters upon it. "You're going to need some more energy soon… But don't worry dear, I'll find some easily…" He ranted on and on about things that were meaningless.

Spirit suddenly went silent and his eye twitched as he shouted, "Who's there?"

He twisted around and looked directly at the door to find a shadow. Apparently the person was making a break for it. "I guess I'm going hunting for life energy sooner than expected…"

* * *

><p><em><strong>(More Author's Notes: Who do you think it is that Spirit heard? Stay tuned!)<br>**_


	9. Nox Aeterna

Soul was having trouble deciding on a movie. He wasn't sure what Maka wanted to watch, so he randomly picked a zombie movie.

"Is this cool?" Soul asked uneasily as he showed Maka the bloody movie's cover. "Uh, sure…" In all honesty, Maka wasn't very interested in the movie.

Soul put the movie into the DVD player, and it began; with the lights on, of course. (The Darkness was still out there!) Violence immediately started, with zombies attacking the main characters.

"I'm going to go get some popcorn," Maka declared, eager to escape the madness. "Alright…" Soul's eyes were glued to the television as Maka sneaked up to the kitchen.

_I can't believe he __likes__ movies like that…_ Maka thought absently.

To her surprise, Kid was scouring through the cabinets looking for food, too. Maka was about to say something, but remembered her resolve to ignore him.

So, she simply walked past him to the other cabinets and grabbed a bag of popcorn. Kid side-glanced at her.

"Are you still not talking to me?" She didn't reply, but had a determined look on her face. Kid sighed loudly as Maka put her popcorn in the microwave.

"I'll…Tell you everything I know. Just…Don't ignore me anymore." He watched her pleadingly.

"Sounds like a deal." Maka agreed, "When can we get started?"

Kid didn't miss a beat, "How does 'right now' sound to you?"

"Perfect." The two made their way to a more comfortable setting, forgetting all about the popcorn in the microwave.

Once they reached the library, Maka took a seat at the table. Kid went searching through the many shelves, picking out a few books.

Maka watched curiously at the ones he chose. Most of which were dusty records.

Once satisfied, Kid dropped the stack of books on the table Maka had picked. "Do these books have to do with the Darkness?"

"Not entirely. Most only have a paragraph or two on the subject." Kid grabbed the dustiest of the books out, which appeared to be a hand-written journal.

Maka read the title out loud, "Nox Aeterna…?"

"Precisely. This book is a chronicle; written by a wise traveler in 400 B.C, about the phenomenon we call 'Darkness.' Of course, at the time he was not quite sure what it was, so the man put together all the strange happenings in this book for that time period." Kid explained easily.

"For example…" Kid flipped a few pages in and read a quick passage.

"_Dies viginti - septem**.** Nrabla Akam cado peius. Puto is eternus obscurum quod has edo populus huic villa suus for ortus_."

"Uh…English?" Maka stared confusedly.

"Couldn't you tell from the title? This book is written in Latin. The title means 'Eternal Night,' which is where we draw the name Darkness from."

Maka just watched. "Hold on, I'll translate for you…" Kid deciphered the Latin on a piece of paper and spoke the exact translation:

"Day twenty seven. Nrabla Akam perish badly. To clear, this eternal darkness and these to eat populace in this country house his say birth."

"That didn't make much sense." Maka admitted.

"Well, back in those days learning to write was very rare, so the grammar is understandable. Sometimes you have to look at the important words and try to interpret into something that does make sense."

"Let me try…" Maka read the paper several times. _I'm guessing Nrabla Akam is a name. _"Day twenty-seven. Nrabla Akam perished badly. To clear, eternal darkness ate populace in this 'country house' for his birth…?"

"Pretty good. Makes sense, right?" Maka merely nodded. They both translated some more excerpts from the Darkness's history, proving that it is quite old.

Kid pulled out a large sheet of yellowish paper. It looked like a big picture with more Latin words. "This is the…Most important of all."

"What is it?" Maka questioned, curiosity peaked.

"A prophecy…" Kid continued to read it aloud.

"_Erit status mundi tenebras noctis aeternae vitae a turba et lumen deficere."_

"What does it mean?" Maka edged in.

"This…Is a terrible prophecy…" Kid hung his head low. "What is it saying?" Maka continued.

"There shall be a state of the world from the multitude of eternal life, and a light to the Darkness of the Night to fall short."

"What…? I don't understand…" Maka was getting a very ominous feeling from this 'prophecy.'

Kid hesitated. He didn't know if he should tell her exactly what it meant. It is too cruel…

"There will be a state of the world from which the one of eternal life will be, and the light to the Darkness of the Night will fall short. So…" Kid collected his thoughts before continuing.

"That means eventually the one who is the Host of Light, the only one who can stop the Darkness of the Night, will perish, and the world will fall into the one who has eternal life's hands. Which is…The Darkness itself."

"This is really big…Who is the Host of Light?" Maka asked with urgency.

"…"

"Tell me, Kid!"

"It's you, okay!" Kid said loudly. Silence followed.

_Wait…That means…_ Maka put herself into the prophecy. _That means eventually I, the only one who can stop the __Darkness__ of the Night, will perish, and the world will fall into the one who has eternal life's hands._

"That means…I'm going to die…?" Maka almost couldn't finish the sentence herself.

"Not if I can help it!" A childish and familiar voice filled the room.

Maka and Kid both looked quickly at the entrance to see…

"Black*Star? You're alive?" Maka ran to him and checked him over. "I can't be taken out that easily. Besides, what kind of friend would I be if I let something kill you?" Indeed, he was alive, but he still looked pretty hurt.

Kid walked up to the two and spoke, "So you're Black*Star…I'm surprised you escaped the Darkness."

"Yeah, well, who are you, smart guy?" Black*Star pointed a finger at Kid accusingly.

"It's okay, Black*Star. He's my friend. And his _name_ is Death the Kid."

"Anyway…" Kid continued, "How _did_ you escape? It's very rare."

Black*Star laughed loudly, before commenting, "Can't I have a seat first? I'm still tired from all that running." He didn't even wait for an answer before jumping onto the seat Maka was using earlier. Black*Star even put his feet on the table.

Maka sweat-dropped before simply sitting on the table, not really wanting to get another seat. Kid just sat in the chair he used earlier.

"What was I going to explain again?" Black*Star asked, completely forgetting about the question earlier.

Kid sighed. It seemed that all of Maka's friends were idiots. "How did you escape the Darkness?" He repeated slowly.

"Oh, right. Well, it helps when you can see it—""You can see the Darkness?" Kid interrupted.

"Uh, yeah?" Black*Star didn't quite see the significance of the matter.

"What's important about that?" Maka asked. "Very, _very_ few people can see the Darkness. Even I don't know what it looks like." Kid admitted.

"So, am I special or something?"

Kid ignored Black*Star's question. "The only ones who can see the Darkness's true form…Are the ones who have performed the Blood Ritual."

"What's that?" Maka questioned curiously. Black*Star watched Kid twitch under Maka's heavy gaze. "The Blood Ritual…Is a very dangerous trial. Back when the Darkness first terrorized people left and right, they tried to rebel, and find a way to destroy it. This is when the Blood Ritual was first used." Kid shook his head.

"Young children would be chosen to be sacrifices to the Darkness. It would devour most of them, but those who survived gained a small piece of the Darkness's soul inside of them…Which enabled them to be able to see it for the rest of their lives. It can be both a blessing…" Kid looked directly at Black*Star, "And a curse."

Maka shivered. "Woah, wait man. Does that mean I'm a part of that _monster_?" Black*Star stared at Kid incredulously.

"Not exactly…It just means it is inside of you." Kid hated to say it, but he had to know.

"If there is a ritual to make someone see…Was there a ritual to make me who I am?" Maka asked quietly.

Kid looked at her for a moment, before replying, "No. Technically, you were chosen by the Darkness itself. Its first victim…Nrabla Akam, was your ancestor."

* * *

><p>Soul was still watching the zombie movie when he noticed Maka hadn't returned.<p>

"Huh? Where did she go? Popcorn doesn't take that long..."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Author's Notes: Lol, I just had to add that last part. And before anyone gets mad about any mistakes with Latin translations, I am not an expert, so just take it as it is and go easy on me? ^.^" I hope you liked it, even though this was mostly more information and not really romantic... Sorry 'bout that! .)<strong>_


	10. Soul Perception

_**(Author's Notes: Okay, here's the next chapter. I've been having a little trouble thinking of what should happen next, so if you have any ideas, I'd be glad to hear them. Anyone notice the resemblance from Maka to her 'ancestor'? Thanks for continuing to read this story, I know it's lame. ^.^")**_

* * *

><p>"Nrabla Akam was my ancestor? But what does that have to do with me?" Maka questioned. Kid shook his head slowly, "I'm not entirely sure… But I do have a theory."<p>

Maka and Black*Star stared at him quizzically. "I believe that ever since the Darkness killed your ancestor, _something _has been altered. Which means that every person directly related from that ancestor has this special power. Your mother was also a direct descendant from Nrabla Akam, in fact…" Kid looked sympathetically towards Maka, who was paying extra attention at this point.

"My father told her about her heritage after you were born, and even about the prophecy. She hadn't met the Darkness her entire life, but was very afraid for you. In hopes that you would survive and finally get rid of the Darkness, she gave you all of her 'power', the part of her that could stand up to it. But…In turn, she became very weak, and died shortly afterward."

Maka's eyes watered, and she sniffled, "So it's my fault that she d-died?" Black*Star watched, unsure of what to say.

"No…Of course not…Maka…!" Kid jumped out of his seat and embraced her tightly. "Listen, she did it because she loved you. If anyone, it is the Darkness's fault that she's gone." Maka cried silently, wrapping her arms around his back. Kid had one arm around her waist and the other on the back of her head.

Black*Star, feeling uncharacteristically awkward, looked around the library. Maka sniffled again, before lightly pushing Kid away. His arms were still around her, however. "I'm okay now. Thanks, Kid…You're a great friend."

"Uh, yeah…You're welcome…" Kid, feeling slightly dejected, let his arms fall to his sides. Black*Star laughed loudly, "Hehe, stuck in the friend-zone…"

Maka looked curiously at Black*Star, wondering what that could mean as Kid mouthed the words "shut up" to the immature boy.

Black*Star just laughed. Maka ignored him and turned back to Kid, "Was there anything else you were hiding from me?"

"…No." Kid replied. "Are you sure? 'Cause if there's something that you aren't telling me and I figure it out, I'll lock myself in my room for a week."

Kid chuckled. "A little at a time…" Black*Star kept looking between the two, a single question forming in his mind.

"So there is more?" Maka pressed on.

"Not for today." Kid insisted.

"I will do the room thing if you don't tell me." Maka pouted playfully.

"Are you two dating?" Black*Star cut in. Kid and Maka both looked quickly at him. And suddenly, blushing became a very competitive sport, with Maka winning by just one shade.

"N-No," Maka answered, "Where'd you get _that _idea?" Black*Star shrugged. "Hey, no need to get defensive about it. Just all the hugging and the flirting makes it seem obvious. Even to me."

"Whatever…We're just friends…" Maka professed. "Sure, sure. Just tone it down around Soul. You know how he gets…Wait, where IS Soul?" Black*Star changed the subject quickly.

"In the movie room," Kid replied. He still hadn't forgotten about the little incident in which Maka went with Soul to watch a DVD. "He's watching a zombie movie." Maka added.

"Really? Sounds cool!" Black*Star jumped up and sprinted out in search of Soul. "Wait, you don't even know where…" Kid stopped speaking, since he was already gone and simply sighed. A few minutes of silence passed before Kid thought of an idea.

"Do you…Want to learn your soul-seeing skill?" Kid asked Maka, not wanting to go back to the previous subject.

Maka thought for a moment, before nodding once. "Just tell me what to do."

"First, you have to clear your mind of everything. Don't feel or think anything." Maka did her best, trying not to do either at all. "Close your eyes." Kid really wanted to kiss her, but held back.

"Now, repeat after me. _A sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body._"

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind, and a sound body." Maka said perfectly. "Think about that saying, and only that sentence." Maka repeated it in her mind once, before feeling…odd. Almost like she wasn't there anymore.

"Open your eyes." Kid prompted. He knew she had done it right. Maka slowly cracked an eye open, before both shot up. "That's your soul?"

Kid smiled and replied, "Yeah. Cool, huh?" 'Cool', was an understatement. Seeing his soul…She could see how he felt at the moment, and what he was thinking about. "Yes…" Maka could barely speak. It seemed so…ethereal.

"Let's practice now. Start thinking about a lot of things again…" Kid instructed. Maka did as she was told and could see Kid, not his soul. "This time, I want you to do it by yourself."

Maka repeated the procedure, and got the same results. "Good. Remember the chant by heart, and you don't have to say it aloud."

"This is…Really cool," Maka admitted happily. Kid smiled in turn. "And you can see my soul too, right?" Maka asked enthusiastically. "That's right."

"What does it look like? I couldn't see my own soul, so…" Maka ended a little sheepishly. "Well…It's a little hard to explain…" Kid was actually looking at her soul when she asked. "It's right here," Kid pointed to Maka's heart. "It's the size of my palm," He showed her just to be sure. "It is yellow…" Kid paused for a minute.

"Very determined…Brave. Hard-working. Serious. How is that for a description?" Kid questioned, unable to pick up much more from the soul. "Wow, how did you get all of that?" Maka stared in awe at the shinigami. Kid laughed a little, "It just takes practice."

"Yeah…" Maka smiled. Silence proceeded as Kid was mesmerized by her beauty. He couldn't do anything but stare. "Uh, Kid…You still there?" Maka waved her hand in front of his face, noticing his trance.

Kid snapped out of his stupor and apologized, "Sorry about that…" They both laughed for a little bit, enjoying each other's company, until—

"AHHH!"

"What was that?" Maka inquired urgently. "I think it came from the kitchen," Kid responded as he took hold of her hand. She blushed in turn as the couple made their way to where the scream came from.

As they entered the room, smoke covered everything. Someone was on the ground coughing loudly. "Liz!" Kid darted to the said girl and helped her up. "What happened?"

Liz coughed some more, trying to speak, but failed. She simply pointed to the microwave. Maka gulped, having an idea of what could have occurred.

"The microwave?" Kid took large strides to the machine and peered inside. "…Maka? What were you making earlier today?"

"…Popcorn…" Maka answered awkwardly. "…I see," Kid replied as he took the bag out of the microwave and threw it into the garbage. The 'popcorn' container was completely black.

He then opened the windows, and grabbed some fans to air it out. In the meantime, Maka helped Liz up. "Sorry about that, it was my fault…"

Liz coughed a little more, "I-It's alright. We all mess up the directions sometimes. But I guess some of us aren't very good cooks altogether…" She joked.

"Uh yeah, haha. But seriously, sorry," Maka apologized again. "Just be more careful next time, and don't forget about it," Kid teased.

"Yeah, yeah…I know…" Maka pouted.

* * *

><p>"Where did Maka go…?" Soul asked to no one in particular. She still hadn't returned, and the movie was almost over.<p>

"Hey, Soul."

Soul jumped around and saw his best friend, "Black*Star? You're alive?" Black*Star leapt onto the couch next to his pal, "Yeah. So this is a zombie movie? Maka told me."

"Yeah." The two simply watched the rest of the movie without saying another word.


	11. Can I Reach You?

_**(Author's Notes: This one is all about the romance. And some background info. I hope you like this one. I put my heart and soul into it. Just kidding. But yeah, I did spend up a lot of time on this chapter.)**_

* * *

><p>"<em>Maka…Your skin…It cuts so easily…Yes…" Maka felt a knife slice through her stomach. Blurry vision…She couldn't see who it was. It hurt. Bad.<em>

"_Look, girl. It tastes good, too." He licked the knife. "Delicious…I wonder what you look like inside, hmm?" The blade was thrust into the wound again, and he twisted it._

_Maka screamed out in pain. "Stop…It hurts…Please! You can't do this—! " _

"What hurts? Maka, what's wrong?" Kid was trying to wake her up in vain. "No…Stop…It hurts, it hurts! You _monster_!"

Maka continued to scream and shake on her bed. She was still in her dream and mentally feeling the pain. Kid could even see her soul quaking from the stress.

The last time she had a nightmare like this, it hadn't been as bad. It seemed stronger this time, so the same tactic wouldn't be enough. (Previously, Kid pressed two fingers on her forehead and the pain from the dream disappeared.)

The idea behind this was to dispel anything causing pain in the area of the body you touched by giving off a steady stream of magic. In that case, since she was in a dream back then, he had done the procedure on her forehead.

Kid crawled over Maka, grabbed her hands, and held them over her head. She was still shaking, but not as much. Hesitantly, he leaned down slowly and pressed his lips onto her forehead.

Maka's cries died down quickly, and she was only shivering every few seconds. "Maka, wake up," Kid spoke urgently. When her eyes opened, she had tears running down her face.

She immediately started rebelling, trying to pull her hands free. Maka then saw that it was Kid, and stopped struggling, but was still sobbing.

"Kid…I…I…" She couldn't stop her tears. "Maka…It's okay, I'm here…" Kid let go of her hands and wrapped his arms underneath her, pulling her up to meet him in an embrace. He whispered soothing words to her until she calmed down.

"Are you feeling better?" Kid asked worriedly. "Yeah…I'm okay now…" Maka sniffled. "That's a relief…" He sighed.

"I have a question, Kid. It's been bothering me for a few minutes now…" Maka hesitated. "What is it?"

Maka fidgeted for a few seconds and blushed heavily. "What were you doing before you woke me up?" Kid became stiff, thinking about what that must've looked like, which made him seem guilty.

"Well…You were having a nightmare and shaking a lot. In order to make you feel better, I had to use magic to get rid of the dream. I also had to maintain symmetry in the process. And in this position I could do both…" Kid smiled at her, trying to seem innocent.

Maka's eye twitched, "I guess that makes sense... But _**why **_are you still on me?" As if just remembering he was still straddling her, Kid jumped off and accidentally fell on the floor. "Oww…"

She cracked a smile at him. That whole scene was hilarious. Kid decided to ignore her obvious enjoyment of his pain.

"So, Maka… That nightmare…What was happening in it?" Kid watched her for any signs of discomfort or anything that made him believe she was lying.

"Er…" Maka clutched the sheets on her bed. "Actually…It was like a continuation of the other nightmare…"

The shinigami raised his eyebrow, telling her to continue. "Both times…I was strapped onto a bed…And there was a man…"

Kid thought about Maka's screaming, and what she had said while in the dream: _No…Stop…It hurts, it hurts! You monster!_ And then it clicked. _A man?_

He suddenly became very angry. "What? A man?" Kid's eyes glowed brightly. He looked like he could execute someone.

"No, wait…I think you're misunder—""Who is he? Who is it? I…I'll kill him!" Kid jumped up, glaring daggers.

"Calm down, it wasn't like that!" Maka defended. She had never seen Kid this outraged. "What happened then?" He stared straight into her eyes, no intention of giving up his murderous expression.

"In the first dream the man said that he was going to 'have some fun', I couldn't move because of the bed that trapped me, and there was a bunch of machines…In the dream from today the man was using a knife and cutting me…There wasn't anything like _that, _but he was saying some creepy stuff…The pain felt real."

"Who was it?" Kid was still furious, but for a different reason. Someone stabbing Maka? He still wanted to kill this person.

"I don't know…Everything was blurry…" Maka admitted.

"Wasn't there anything that could have set him apart from everyone else?" Maka thought about any identifying features. "Well…He had long, thin fingers…And…Glasses! Yeah…" She finished lamely.

Kid softened his expression, "Maka… I'm sorry I got so mad. I must've been terrifying. It's just…I don't want you to be dreaming about other men. No matter what it's about."

"I'm sorry…" Maka apologized cutely. Kid couldn't help but forgive her, "Oh no, it's okay. This time, I'm almost certain that someone enchanted you. Similar to when I made you dream about me and the Darkness. I wonder why, though…"

"Kid, what time is it?"

He put both hands into his pockets (for symmetry, of course) and pulled out a pocket watch. "Nine in the morning."

"What will we do today?" Maka asked him.

"Whatever you want to." Kid replied politely. He would be happy if she was.

Maka thought about anything she might want to do. When she figured out that she didn't have anything in mind, she thought about what Kid might want to do and realized something.

"Kid…" Maka began slowly.

"Maka…?" Kid copied her pace.

"I just noticed something."

"What's that?" He played along.

"Well," Maka bit her lip nervously, "I don't really know that much about you."

Kid was enjoying her shyness immensely. "I suppose that's true. What would you like to know?"

"First…You should sit down." Maka scooted to the other side of the bed to make room for him, blushing in the process. Kid didn't think twice before climbing onto the mattress next to her.

"Before we begin…Every time I say something about myself you have to tell me one thing that you like about me." He grinned.

"…Fine." Maka gave in. His smile was too bright.

Kid waited patiently for a question. Maka was trying to sort out her thoughts and pick something she really wanted to know.

"Number one," She rose a single finger to make a point, "When, where, and how did we meet?"

"That's technically 3 questions since there will be 3 answers. That means you'll have to pay 3 compliments to me in exchange." He was obviously taking pleasure in this. "Okay."

"I met you twelve years ago. You were three at the time, and I was five. You didn't talk much, but read books instead. You were very smart for your age. I was in this mansion when I saw a little girl wandering around just outside, looking very lost.

"I went out to check on you, but no matter what you would not talk to me. I don't think you trusted me at the time, or you were just really shy. I ended up walking you back to the Park where your mother was looking for you. Once you spotted her, you gave me a small hug and ran to her. I think you tried to tell her about me, but I started going back home before she saw me.

"A couple of days passed, and I couldn't stop thinking about you. I lived with only my Father here at the time so I didn't get to meet any new people at all. I'm not sure how you made your way back here, but you came knocking on my front door with both of your parents.

"All three of you entered our home, and our parents talked about important things. That was when they discussed the prophecy…But in the meantime, I took you around the house, and we had a lot of fun. You were my first friend.

"Later, it was decided that you would all stay with us. That was when your mom gave you all of her powers and passed away. Your dad became a drunk, but Father felt bad and thought it was his fault, so he continued to let him stay. I tried to shield you from all of that, and we still had fun. For 11 years, we lived in the same house…Then you ran away for a year. I still don't know why…"

Kid finished sadly. "Wow…I didn't realize we knew each other for so long…" Maka thought aloud.

"Yeah. Liz and Patty moved in 3 years ago, too. Which means you knew them for 2 years…"

"Now I need to tell you three compliments, right?" Maka brought him back from the past.

"That's right." Kid looked at her, listening intently.

"Hmm…One thing I like about you is your manners. I also really like your eyes." Kid blushed lightly when she stared into them. "And lastly…I feel really safe around you." It was Maka's turn to blush.

"Moving on…" Maka averted her gaze from his. "From what you said earlier, does that make you 17? She felt stupid for even asking. The calculation was obvious. _I'm 15 if he's 17…Back at school I even had to lie about my birthday because I didn't know it._

"That's right…Pay up." He smiled playfully.

"Let's see…I like how you always make me feel better when I'm upset or scared." "Always," Kid vowed.

Maka didn't pay attention to his statement, "Do you know what my birthday is?"

"Of course," He answered immediately. She waited for him to continue, but he didn't.

"Aren't you going to tell me?" Maka asked confusedly. "You asked me if I knew it, not what it was." Kid chuckled at her.

"Come on…You knew what I meant!" She pouted.

"It's September 24th." He blurted accidentally, and cursed himself mentally for his weakness.

"I'll remember that…" Maka committed the date to memory. _9/24…_

"Oh right, I need to praise you…I like you because you always know what I'm thinking." Kid nodded mutely. It was true.

"When is your birthday?" Maka continued along that subject.

"Also September 24th."

"Are you serious? Really?" Maka was surprised to hear that. On the same day?

"That's right. I'll always be 2 years older than you, no matter what."

Maka laughed, "That's so cool. You should've told me that we had the same birthday earlier!"

"I never had the chance to bring it up," he defended.

"One of the things I like the most about you is…" Maka watched him forget about the previous conversation and lean in to hear correctly. "Kissing you."

Maka wasn't sure how she suddenly became so bold or brave. It was a nice feeling, but she felt like a different person saying that. Maybe all this talk about her past brought something up? She wasn't sure, but Kid blushed heavily from the comment.

He looked at her intensely, and Maka absently wondered why the room suddenly seemed so small. "Maka…There's something I need to tell you…Before you lost your memories, I used to say it every day. What I'm trying to…What I'm trying to say is…"


	12. Ominous Encounters

_**(Author's Notes: This chapter is really important. I hope you like it, and I hope I tricked you! ;)**_

* * *

><p>"I…" Kid hesitated and his confidence faltered ever so slightly. He blushed and looked away. "I'll always protect you."<p>

Maka smiled to him. Oddly enough, she didn't feel nervous at all. "That's really nice of you." Kid's eyes found their way back to Maka's.

It became quiet, and the atmosphere was becoming romantic. The two stared at each other for a long time, and were starting to inch closer, when…

"Oi, Maka, you in here?" Soul called while knocking loudly. Maka jumped away from Kid, a look of surprise evident on her face. Kid was slightly disappointed, but it didn't show much. "Y-Yeah."

Soul opened the door and walked in. He looked between the two with a curious expression. "Uh, did I interrupt something?" Maka shook her head vigorously with a blush that contradicted her unintentionally.

"Did you need something?" Kid's dull tone dripped with underlying frustration. Soul's attention switched over to Kid, and he thought for a moment. "Yeah, actually. Liz wanted to talk to you Maka. She's in her room."

Maka blinked before replying, "Okay…" She got off her bed and waved to Kid, "See you later."

Kid nodded in response to her. Maka made her way out of the room, giving Soul a simple high-five. After she was gone, neither boy made a move. There was a tense air in the room as they were having a staring contest.

"Did you want to talk to me, too?" Kid's voice and appearance showed annoyance. Soul wasn't his favorite person.

"Yeah, I did."

* * *

><p>"Liz? Are you in there?" Maka knocked on her door. It was quiet for a minute. "Come in." Liz's voice came in strong and clear.<p>

Maka worried about what they were going to talk about since she sounded so serious. She opened the door and was surprised to see the light out. Suddenly, an arm came out from the room and grabbed her. "Ack!"

Maka heard a slam and was pushed up against the door. The light flickered on, and Liz was had her pinned.

"We need to talk." Liz stared straight into Maka's eyes with a grave expression. "Maka…Do you like Kid?"

Maka blushed deeply and stuttered, "W-What are you talking about?" Liz continued questioning her. "Are you in love with him?"

Maka looked away, still blushing furiously. "…I don't know."

Liz sighed. "You need to figure it out fast. Haven't you noticed the way he looks at you? Or how he treats you?"

"What are you trying to say? We're friends!" Maka practically shouted. Liz took her voice down a notch and whispered harshly, "Before you ran away, you two were more than that. He's in_**love**_ with you. Can't you see that?"

Maka was shocked into silence. "…That can't be true…"

"It is…Listen, I'm telling you this because I'm worried. Worried that you won't accept him as you are now. I know that if you don't feel the same way he won't get over you. Ever. Do you understand? Thanks to Kid, Patty and I have a home now; we used to be out on the streets. That's why…I have to do something for him. _Please_…Don't hurt him."

Maka was quiet. "…Did you tell Soul? When you told him to get me?" Liz backed away to give her some space. "…No. Of course not."

"Thank you. Liz…Everyone here is my friend. I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially Kid." She smiled for reassurance, "I'm going back to my room."

Maka opened the door and walked out. She had a lot to think about. _Kid in love with me…? No way… Liz must be mistaken. _

Lost in thought, Maka made her way through the mansion, deciding to take the long way around. She even passed Stein's lab. In fact, the professor was headed toward it, mumbling to himself with an angry look. Maka saw him and figured a greeting was in order, "Hello Professor."

Upon hearing her voice, Stein slowly glanced up with a crazy unreadable expression. When he saw her, his eyes widened, "There she is, just the one. The one I was looking for. Hehe…"

Maka's eyebrows furrowed at this strange behavior. He was acting very…odd. Stein came up to her fast and pulled her arm.

"You're coming with me. Hehe…Perfect timing, you have. No more hiding…I can finally come out…You see, it was all me. Hahahaha! I've been partners with what you call the 'Darkness.' I've kept my eye on you for a _long_ time. I've wanted to cut you open since the first time I met you. But I had to wait," His eye twitched, "And follow the plan. No one suspects me. I even had to do some _terrible _things with your family. Hehehehe…"

* * *

><p><em>Stein was standing behind the doors that led to Shinigami-sama's room where he, Kami, and Spirit were talking. Stein already knew about the prophecy, and was having trouble containing his laughter. Their pain was enjoyable. <em>

_He had a mission to do. Stein may have been a man consumed in madness, but he was smart. The discussion was over, and the three bid their goodbyes. Stein cackled a bit before opening the door, purposefully running into the couple._

"_Why, hello. Sorry to interrupt…" Stein had a calm expression. "But that child is yours, isn't it? Beautiful. May I have a word with you?" He spoke directly to Kami._

_She was slightly taken aback, "What is it?" _

"_Come. I will show you to my lab." He showed fake warmth and sincerity. "…Okay." Stein simply nodded to the other two. Spirit wanted to say something, but Shinigami-sama engaged him in another conversation. _

_Stein led Kami to his lab, with a crazy smile on his face. "What do you want to talk about?" _

"_You can call me Stein, I am a professor, and I have been studying the prophecy for a long time. I know how to save your daughter." Stein told her, easily fooling her. "You do? How? Please, tell me…" _

"_You simply have to transfer your life energy to her. It's easy. I can help you do it. Just follow me…" Stein took her to his lab, and used a machine to absorb her energy. Now, she would be no problem to his master. She didn't know it, but she would die soon. _

"_Now, all we have to do is insert this into her. You may feel weak for a few days, but you will recover." A lie._

"_Thank…You…" Kami was taking in large breaths. "But there is one thing I must ask you in return. You must not speak of this procedure to anyone. Our little secret. Not even your husband. Okay?" She nodded weakly. _

_A few days later, Kami died, and Maka was injected with her life energy. No one knew about the details. Stein's mission wasn't complete just yet, though. _

_He took the machine he used to extract Kami's life to an abandoned warehouse. He knew Spirit was mourning the woman's death, and he was going to take advantage of it._

_Unbeknownst to the others, Stein had made a perfect replica of her body. The next part of the plan was underway. _

_Stein called Spirit to his lab. "What do you want?" Spirit had gone cold to everyone after the incident; even Maka. "I know how to bring back your love."_

_Spirit looked pleadingly at him, "What?! Really? Tell me!" This family was so easy to manipulate. Now Spirit would not be in the way of the Darkness's plans._

"_In the woods, there is a warehouse. If you bring a body for her, and give her life energy, all you need is a soul. It's easy. I even made a body for her. I'll show you. Oh, and by the way…" Stein shoved a bottle of booze into Spirit's hands, "This can help ease the pain."_

_Stein moved the body and set everything up in the warehouse for Spirit, and told him how it worked. He needed to gather life energy from people to sustain the being while finding a soul. Stein promised to find hers, but it was a lie. He also got him addicted to alcohol, as a way to put some suspicion on him, and to put a rift in the relationship between him and Maka._

"_In exchange for all of this…You need to be quiet about it. Don't tell anyone. Got it?" Stein said. Spirit nodded and thanked him. _

_The last part of the mission was to gain Shinigami-sama's trust. And that he did. He even took a job at the guy's school and didn't do anything shady for years. _

* * *

><p>Stein ripped back into his lab with Maka. She was resisting with all her might, and trying to scream. He threw her onto a hospital-like bed. Stein kept her down while fastening straps around her so she wouldn't be able to escape.<p>

"I was the one who told your mother how to 'save' you. I was the one who drove your father to madness. And you know what? I _**enjoyed **_every bit of it. You're next, too. You remember those dreams I gave you? You're about to feel that pain _**ten-fold**_. Hehehehehe!"

Stein grabbed some duck tape from a drawer and kicked the door closed. He laughed manically as he cut a piece of tape off. Maka screamed for help loudly, "Y-You're a monster! Let me g—"Stein slapped the tape over her mouth, ending her cries.

He grabbed a marker out of his pocket and made a dotted line along her stomach. Stein had a crazy grin on his face as he pulled over a machine. It had a sharp, circular and whizzing blade that he was handling easily. Maka cried silent tears while trying to break free. It was useless. All she could think of was Kid, and hoping he would come to save her.

* * *

><p>"I wanted to talk about Maka." Soul leaned against the doorframe. Both of Kid's eyes twitched from the unsymmetrical display, but he paid attention now that <em>she <em>had been mentioned.

"What about Maka?" Kid watched him intently. Soul stared with the same strength, "Do you like her?"

Kid frowned at Soul. Why did he have to answer that question? "Why?"

Soul sighed. "Look. She's…Really important to me. And I think she'd be happier with you. So…I'm going to give up on trying to get her. I know that you have feelings for Maka. It's obvious. Just don't hurt her. I'll be there if you do."

Kid could tell he was being sincere, and the words were genuine. Maybe Soul wasn't as bad as he initially thought. (He ignored the symmetrical flaws for the moment.)

Kid smiled slightly. "Thanks, but I will never hurt her."

Soul smirked, "That's what I wanted to hear…I'll see you later." He abruptly ended the conversation and waved goodbye before stepping out.

Kid sighed before leaning back on the bed. _I wonder what Liz and Maka are talking about…And what a strange discussion with Soul. Wait…Is it possible that the two are connected…? No…_

Minutes and minutes passed by. Kid was lost in his thoughts about Maka. Suddenly, his heart felt like it stopped. He sat up quickly and looked around, adrenaline pulsing in his veins. _Something's wrong…_

"Hey, Maka. Sorry for being hard on you. You forgot this," Liz walked in, holding Maka's scratched phone in her hand. She was surprised to see Kid by himself in the girl's room.

"Kid…? Where's Maka?" Liz questioned. Kid's heart was still pumping fast, and something felt ominous. "I should be asking you that. She went to talk to you in your room."

"Yeah, she did. But she came back to her room…" Liz had a confused expression on her face. Kid leapt to his feet with an anxious look. Something was definitely wrong.


	13. Am I Too Late?

_**(Author's Notes: This chapter came out a little later than I would have liked, but I made it longer to make up for it. I hope you enjoy! Also, don't forget to leave a review for me.)**_

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><p>"<em>You…! I know it was you! Where is she?!" <em>

"_What are you talking about? I didn't do anything! Though I can't say the same for you…!"_

"_Likely story. Where is Maka?" _

"_I wouldn't hurt my own daughter!" _

* * *

><p>Kid sent Liz to tell Shinigami-sama about the situation. She left immediately, along with a certain confused little sister. He then proceeded to search the mansion for his beloved.<p>

His first instinct was to check around Liz's room, especially the bathrooms nearby. No sign of her. Severely frightened, Kid then decided to inspect the library. Still no Maka.

That was when he noticed both Black*Star and Soul walking down the hallway casually. Kid sprinted to them, unintentionally giving them a scare. "Have you seen Maka? Do you know where she is?"

Soul shook his head slowly, while Black*Star put on an overly-dramatic thinking face. "Actually…" He was purposefully dragging it out, trying to get as much attention as possible. Kid wasn't in the mood.

"Tell me what you know! Now," He growled, grabbing Black*Star's collar. (With both hands; symmetry is forged so deeply into his being, he ensures it subconsciously.)

"Are you challenging god?" Black*Star snarled confidently back to the shinigami, his eyes glinting mischievously.

"I will harm you beyond repair. I don't care if you're Maka's friend. Never defy a reaper." Kid's own eyes were flashing with murderous intent, but Black*Star was too dense to notice.

"You think you're better than me? YOU, as in the one in love with Maka!" Black*Star laughed and put pressure on Kid's hands, intending to push them off of him.

The shinigami looked shocked at the other boy, "What…? How did you…?" His anger started to rise with the realization that Black*Star was mocking his love for the girl. "You… You don't stand a _single_ chance against me! You'd have better luck defeating the Darkness blindfolded, with your hands tied behind your egotistical back!"

Soul, who was completely forgotten up to this point, decided it was time to put a stop to this before it escalated into a full-on fight. "Guys, calm down! It's not cool to argue like this! Isn't Maka in danger?!"

Soul reminded Kid of the reason he was attacking Black*Star in the first place. He scolded himself for forgetting about her in his blinded rage. Honestly, Kid couldn't believe he had wasted those precious few minutes arguing with the ninja-like boy.

Kid dropped Black*Star in a heartbeat upon hearing Soul's statement. "You're right. She is in danger, and I know she needs me. So," He glared at Black*Star, "if you truly care for her well-being _**as a friend**_, you will tell me what you know." He put emphasis on 'as a friend', almost as if he were daring Black*Star to say otherwise.

Black*Star brushed himself off before looking distastefully upon the shinigami, "Look. Maka is my friend, and I _do_ care about her. Being god and all, I have to make sure all my subjects are safe. And just so you know, I'm doing this for her, not for a lovesick fool like you."

He took a deep breath before telling them about what he saw.

* * *

><p><em>Black*Star was casually making his way through the mansion, intent on finding his best friend and partner-in-crime, Soul. <em>

_That was when he passed the one girl's room—Black*Star didn't really know the names of the other people dwelling within the huge house. Not yet, anyway.  
><em>

_He heard a hushed voice, and his curiosity was peaked. So, Black*Star put his ear onto the door in an attempt to comprehend the muffled dialogue._

"-_Before you ran away, you two were more than that. He's in __**love**__ with you. Can't you see that?"_

_"…That can't be true…"_

_"It is…Listen, I'm telling you this because I'm worried. Worried that you won't accept him as you are now. I know that if you don't feel the same way he won't get over you. Ever. Do you understand? Thanks to Kid, Patty and I have a home now; we used to be out on the streets. That's why…I have to do something for him. __Please__…Don't hurt him."_

_"…Did you tell Soul? When you told him to get me?"_

_"…No. Of course not."_

_"Thank you. Liz…Everyone here is my friend. I don't want to hurt anyone. Especially Kid." A pause. "I'm going back to my room."_

_Slightly taken aback at the news, Black*Star couldn't move. That is, until the door almost slammed into his face. Black*Star jumped back silently, watching Maka storm off in the other direction. _

_Black*Star was a little slow, and thus was still processing the information. By the time he finally understood it all, someone walked up to him. _

_Spirit._

"_That Kiddo…Did he bring you in too?" _

"_No. I came here of my own free will. I don't even know the guy; only that he's in _love _with Maka." Black*Star put emphasis on the last part, still not fully accepting the thought._

"_He…Is…? With my daughter… I can't believe this…!" Spirit pushed past Black*Star, going the same way as Maka did minutes before. (The red-head didn't know this, however.) _

"_You're Maka's dad?" He asked blankly, thinking to himself. Spirit either didn't hear him, or ignored it. Unsure of what to do, Black*Star simply walked along until he found Soul._

"I knew it! Spirit had always been hateful towards Maka. I should've sought him out first!" Kid ran after the direction of Spirit's room, leaving the two boys in his dust.

"You eavesdropped on Maka and Liz?" Soul asked his friend after a few moments of silence.

"Uh, yeah. Kind of a good thing, don't you think? If Maka's with that guy." Black*Star started walking off, "Anyway, we should be looking for her."

* * *

><p>That was when another pain struck his heart. Kid knew Maka was in agony, and his own shinigami body was sending him signals.<p>

The sense of foreboding was what made him push himself to the limit. Once at the destination, he threw open Spirit's door, looking for the alcoholic.

"You…! I know it was you! Where is she?!" Kid shoved Spirit against the wall. Even though the man was older than Kid was, being a shinigami automatically gave him more strength.

"What are you talking about? I didn't do anything! Though I can't say the same for you…!" Spirit gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes upon the reaper that, worst case scenario, deflowered his daughter.

"Likely story. Where is Maka?" Kid ignored the last comment, venom in his voice.

"I wouldn't hurt my own daughter!" Spirit protested, looking as if he was about to punch the 17 year old.

"Oh yeah? You ignored her all this time. All you worried about was your wife and not what was in front of you. Maka needed you, and you weren't anywhere to be seen. You're no father…You didn't even recognize her earlier!"

Kid was breathing hard, seeming to have vented out all his rage on Spirit. The adult looked down at the ground, almost unable to put words together. "I know I'm late…But I realized that I love her very much after thinking about her with a boy…"

Kid leaned in to glare at him, and spoke roughly, "You're right. You _are _too late." He then pushed away from the heartbroken Spirit, venturing as far away from him as possible. If Maka wasn't with Spirit, where else could she be…?

And that's when it clicked. Everything.

Kid realized there was only one person that could have been the Darkness's accomplice. The only person that could have found Maka and told the Darkness where she was.

Stein. It all made sense. There always was something that seemed fake with him, or a little too sincere. Plus, working at Lord Death's school gave him the ability to know where she was. _And_ he was almost always nowhere to be seen, only visible when Maka was around. Kid remembered leaving Maka's phone with the scientist a long time ago, and realized that it was him who scratched it so terribly. Maybe, just maybe Stein had requested the technology to lure her in? Or perhaps to investigate?

Maka's dream of someone cutting her up, having glasses, and with long-thin fingers…It all added up! That mad man was always dissecting creatures and had a huge lust for blood. (Kid had accidentally overheard Stein in his lab once, but dismissed it as a mistake.)

If what Black*Star said hold true, that meant the way Maka went after leaving Liz's room could have led to…_No…Not there…_ Thinking about that awful place, and if she really was being cut open killed Kid inside.

Immediately, the shinigami made his way to that dreadful laboratory with a heavy conscience.

* * *

><p>Maka kept blacking out, but the pain was still very much there. She didn't know how long it had gone on, but it was unbearable.<p>

Every time she did happen to wake up, she would scream, then cry, and then plead to be released. Maka wasn't sure how well she was understood with the duck tape muffling her voice, but she couldn't care even if she wanted to. At the beginning of this terrible nightmare, she tried to give him as little satisfaction as possible by being silent, but her will broke eventually and she was, by human instinct, trying her best to save her life.

Stein laughed manically at her cries, but continued the torture. His master allowed him to cut her up, but with the sole condition that she would survive.

Suddenly, somebody was trying to open the locked door. "Maka?! Are you in there?" Kid was kicking at the entrance harder and harder. Slight hope filled the girl as she tried to say something. Stein growled at the interruption, and realized now was a good time to make his escape.

"Look here, girl. You will die soon. I promise you. The Darkness will devour you entirely, and I will be there to watch your demise. Don't get too comfortable!" He left some fresh cut marks on her cheek before making his way in the back of the lab.

Apparently there was some sort of escape-way over there, but it was out of Maka's vision. Finally, Kid kicked down the door and was shown a terrible sight.

Maka's shirt was almost nonexistent, and her jeans were ripped in several places. Kid could easily see the tools used on her, for they were practically bathing in blood. The same substance was all over her body, leaking out of those still fresh wounds, but the worst part was her eyes. Her spirit was shattered, and her soul looked defeated.

"Maka…!" Kid ran forward, pulled the duck tape off of her face and undid the straps as fast as he could. "K-Kid!" Even her voice sounded strained and broken. Kid pulled her into a bear hug, not caring if he got his clothes bloody. She whimpered from the fabric and pressure against the deep scratches, but he didn't hear it.

"Oh Maka…I'm so sorry this happened to you. I should've realized sooner…How are you feeling? We need to get you to a hospital…" Kid would've used his magic to heal her, but knew better. His magic wasn't quite that strong, and there were far too many wounds.

Maka clung to Kid, her sight was blurry and she was having trouble staying awake. "Don't go to sleep, Maka. _Please_. Back when I told you I 'would always protect you', I meant to say something else, but I didn't have the courage... I love you._ I've always loved you._ So please, don't leave me…!"

Kid carried Maka quickly through the mansion, and then transferred to his skateboard, Beelzebub. Blood dripped onto the ground every few seconds, which really worried him. What scared him the most though was how far away the nearest hospital was, and he realized she probably wouldn't make it that far.

"Damn it…I have no choice…" Kid slowed the skateboard down and stepped off. He then set Maka down on the floor gently (they were still in the mansion), and prepared for what was to come. She was looking pale, but was trying her best to stay awake.

"Kid…There's something…I need to say," Maka's breathing was hard, but it felt like she wasn't getting any air. "Shh, don't talk," Kid got onto his knees beside her.

Maka spoke quietly and almost inaudibly, "I…I love you too…" Kid froze from the sudden confession. Despite the situation, his heart was beating really fast.

He swallowed the lump in his throat, and tried to calm down. This spell needed his full and undivided attention. He started to concentrate all of his magic into the palms of his hands. Once he thought he had just the right amount (too little magic wouldn't heal the wounds properly, and too much would burn the skin badly) he pressed his hands on the part of her body with the most cuts; her stomach.

Kid kept a steady flow of magic, and went to her legs next. He tried his best to think about nothing, but it was hard to ignore the declaration of love. Her arms were next, and Kid was starting to get tired from all this magic being used. He persisted though, and was healing her neck. Lastly, with the last little bit of power he had in him at the moment, he mended the cuts on her face and lip. (She must've chewed through it thoroughly while trying to ignore the searing pain.)

Finally finished, Kid collapsed on Maka, breathing deeply. He could hear her heartbeat, and she was still taking in air. Luckily, he had stopped all the bleeding, and she was still alive. Kid briefly thanked Lord Death for not taking her yet.

Once he got his breath back, he leaned back up. Maka obviously couldn't stop her exhaustion anymore, and passed out a while ago. Out of nowhere, Kid kissed her deeply, still treasuring the knowledge that she was alive. When he pulled away, (a few minutes later), he decided to check how well his magic turned out.

Every cut left a scar. Unfortunately, during the procedure Kid was subconsciously afraid to hurt her, and ended up not using enough magic to heal it all completely. And now, it would be impossible to get rid of them since the spell was already finished. He silently cursed himself; those scars were proof of his incompetence.

But the worst part was the branding. In Kid's panic to save her, he didn't realize that some marks actually had meaning. For instance, her cheek unmistakably held the branding of:

STE IN

There was a little space between the 'STE' and the 'IN' in the professor's name. Kid's blood boiled from this. The marking would never go away, and it stood out so much now that he noticed it.

There was another 'meaningful' scar on her shoulder. This time, it read:

ST UPID

Again, there was a space in the middle of the word. Angrily, Kid searched to see if there was another. (He was trying, and failing, to ignore the random scratch marks etched in her skin everywhere.)

Indeed, there was a third one. This branding was worse:

DIS GUSTING

Kid ground his teeth in fury. _When I find him, I will rip him apart…! _


	14. The Forgotten Void: Part One

_**(Author's Notes: If anything in this story confuses you, be sure to ask me. I'll be more than happy to explain. I think you guys will LOVE this chapter. Now, for the important stuffs...**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Soul Eater, Hansel and Gretel, The Gingerbread Man, or Cinderella. However, the plot for this story is mine, along with the 'Darkness' and 'The Forgotten Void.')**_

* * *

><p>"<em>Where am I…?" Maka questioned more from habit than actually wanting to know. This room was the same as before…Completely white. It was where her 'friend' admitted to saving her from the Darkness and had to go from lack of energy. <em>

"_I suppose I should've warned you about that Professor." The same voice from long ago resonated. "You…You're back! Does that mean you're better?" Maka was happy to hear that her savior was okay; at least from the sound of the female-like voice._

"_Yes. I've recovered." Maka looked around the room. Once again, there wasn't anything but walls. The person's voice was so familiar, but Maka just couldn't place it._

"_Can I know who you are now?" She glanced around anxiously, hoping to somehow pinpoint where the response would come from._

"…_I think you've earned that much." Oddly, the statement didn't bounce around the walls like it normally did. Instead, it was coming from right behind Maka. _

_Slowly, she turned around and gasped at the sight._

"_M-…Mama?" All she could do was stare. Indeed, it _was _Kami who stood before her. "Yes. It is me. It has always been me."_

_Maka ran to her mom, intending to hug her. But when she got to where Kami was supposed to be standing, she went right through her. Kami's figure was still there, but was somewhat transparent. "I lost my physical form a long time ago… Maka, child… Stand up. There are things you must see."_

_All Maka felt like doing was crying, but she _had_ to be brave this time. No one else could do this for her. When she thought about Kid, her courage came to her naturally. _

_She got up off the ground and followed Kami to a door that suddenly appeared. There were so many things she wanted to ask her mother, like what she was like when she was small, or where they lived before coming to Gallows Mansion. _

_But all her thoughts disappeared when the door opened. Inside was completely black, and the room itself was trying to suck Maka in. _

"_Maka, you must now regain your lost memories and figure out what you have to do. This room is called the Forgotten Void. If you do not succeed…You will be forced to wander in darkness forever. Good luck, dear… Whatever happens, remember that I love you."_

_Maka was spinning from the information being tossed at her, and was struggling to remain grounded. "B-But mama, I'm not sure I can do this! I'm not ready!" _

_The Forgotten Void was pulling on her harder than before, and Maka had to hold onto the wall. "You _can _do this, and you _must_. If you don't, no one will survive. _Kid _will not survive."_

_Maka's heart ached at the thought; and she realized what her decision had to be. "I love you, mom." She closed her eyes and let go. Maka was forced into the pitch dark room, the door closing immediately behind her._

_Before she had time to lament being in this situation, she was thrown into a memory she didn't even know she had. Maka couldn't do anything but watch the scene unfold._

* * *

><p>"Mama, Papa…" 3 year old Maka slid down a short slide. She was at her very favorite park, the best one in town! What was weird was that she wasn't very happy. Her mom and dad were always fighting, but she didn't know why.<p>

Usually when it happened, she would ask to go to the park. It normally did the trick to cheer everyone up, but not today it seemed.

The two parents used really big and weird words, so Maka couldn't understand. They weren't even paying attention to her!

Maka huffed and stomped her way back to her mom and dad. She tugged at their jeans legs. Spirit turned to his little girl, still looking angry, "Not right now, honey. Daddy and Mommy are busy."

"Run along and play, dear. We're talking about some things that are _very _important." Kami glared at her husband.

"What? I _told _you, we only went on a date! Nothing more!"

"You think a date is insignificant?!"

Kami and Spirit were in there own argument now, and nothing Maka could do would be noticed by them. She still wasn't sure why they were so unhappy, but decided to follow her mom's instructions.

As Maka made her way back to the playground, a bush to the side started rumbling. Curiously, she glanced back to see her parents still feuding like it was World War III, and made her way to the moving shrub.

When she got closer, a bunny rabbit jumped out! The animal looked scared, and its eyes slowly turned to see the toddler. Maka had an evil-looking expression that only appeared on little kid's faces when they saw something they wanted.

Fearing for its life, the rabbit ran further into the trees. Maka gave chase, and was getting closer to it. When she could almost reach out and grab it, Maka accidentally tripped on a tree root and face-planted into the ground.

The bunny was able to escape in that small amount of time given. Little Maka sat up with tiny tears in her eyes. She cried for a couple of minutes before the realization set in.

She was completely and utterly lost. Trees surrounded her completely and she had no idea where to go. Maka stood up and wiped the liquid from her eyes. She had read a book called _Hansel and Gretel _and knew not to go into any strangers homes for any reason at all.

Maka decided to follow what the characters did in that book and wandered around aimlessly. After what seemed like hours to the little girl, she tried a different tactic and followed a bird.

This actually produced better results. She saw a clearing the black crow was headed for, and rushed to the lighter area.

There was a huge house there. Maka had never seen a bigger home! She stared in awe at the building for a little while before remembering her 'Survivalist Guide.'

Maka looked around to make sure no one was nearby. No matter what, she would not give in to any old witches pretending to be nice ladies!

"Are you okay?" Maka turned to the sound quickly, scared out of her wits. A boy was standing in front of her. His hair was black with white stripes, and his eyes glowed a strange yellow. She was sure he wasn't that much older than her.

Even so, he could still be an evil witch in disguise. Maka clamped her mouth shut and promised not to speak or give in to anything he said.

"Are you lost?" The boy looked confused as she gave him a defiant stare. Maka nodded vigorously in reply.

"I can show you the way back. Is that okay?" He really wasn't sure why this girl wouldn't talk. This time, Maka nodded only once.

He seemed to know where he was going, and the way back was silent. "My name is Death the Kid, but you can call me Kid. What's your name?"

Maka grabbed a book from her bag and opened the cover. This one was called _The Gingerbread Man._ Kid noticed that first, but she pointed at the corner where her name was clearly written in blue ink:

_MAKA ALBARN _

"Maka Albarn? That's a pretty name." Kid smiled at her, and she blushed. "Why were you all the way at my house? It's kinda far."

Maka thought that at the very least she could answer that question. "…A…A rabbit. I was following one." To Kid, her voice was really sweet and melodic. Her bashfulness was really cute, too.

"Oh okay. Well…" Kid hesitated, not really sure if he wanted to mention their destination. "We're here." Maka looked quickly to see that her parents were searching the playground rather frantically. She gave him a brief and friendly hug before dashing off to Kami.

Maka didn't say anything, but tugged on her mom's jeans and pointed back to her new friend, but he was long gone.

* * *

><p><em>"Spirit's my dad?! Didn't see that coming... And that's the first time we met? …It's exactly like Kid said…" Maka mentioned to herself. She was once again in The Forgotten Void, but not for long.<em>

_She didn't get much time to do anything before she was assaulted with many memories launching themselves into her head. It really hurt, but it felt good to remember all these things. The procedure itself was like watching a movie on fast-forward; only some parts stood out._

* * *

><p>"M-Maka? You came back?" A younger Kid stood just inside the mansion. Lord Death himself invited the Albarns in to talk about something important.<p>

Maka nodded to him. Lord Death was happy that Kid had a new friend while Maka's parents were a little curious as to the other family's appearance.

"What are you waiting for? Come in, come in!" Shinigami-sama moved back and held the door open for the three. A little hesitantly, Spirit and Kami walked in.

Maka immediately went to Kid and smiled at him. It was she who led her parents to this place, and from the looks of it, she was really proud of the accomplishment.

"Why did you come back?" Kid looked happy, but wasn't sure if he should be.

"I…" Maka gulped. She wasn't too good at this 'making new friends' thing. "I don't have a lot of friends. So I thought we could play together; I had to bring them though." She motioned to her parents.

"Well, okay. Let's go to my room then." Kid led Maka to his room while the parents continued down the hallway.

"What do you want to play?" Kid questioned.

Maka grabbed her bag and started rummaging through it. Finally, she pulled out a jigsaw puzzle with quite a few pieces. It was a picture of a bunch of dogs, and Maka's favorite.

"This one…? Okay." Kid took the top off of the game, and dumped the pieces onto the floor. "You don't talk much."

Maka shook her head in response. She was currently making sure all the pieces were right side up. "Why not? You don't have to be scared of me if that's what this is about."

Maka shook her head again, but this time with more vigor. She pulled out a notepad from her bag and a blue pen. She always was better at writing than speaking despite her age.

She put the paper in his face, which read in really nice loopy handwriting:

_I like to read and write. I don't want to be loud like Mama and Papa who always argue. I can write my feelings easy, and reading puts me in a different world than them. _

"You know, for your age you shouldn't even be able to write sentences like that." Maka wrote some more on the same page. This time it said:

_I taught myself how to. I know that kids my age can only write 3 letter sentences. Or maybe not write at all. I'm just different._

Kid gently took the notepad and pen from Maka and wrote down some things of his own. His handwriting was straight and to the point. Kid told her:

_Use your voice. It's a lot better. Don't worry about your parents, just be yourself! _

"O…Okay." Maka took the notepad and pen from him and put them back in her bag. The two had a lot of fun with the puzzle, and when it was complete they laughed. They laughed like never before. Maka forgot about her parents for the moment, and just enjoyed herself.

When they finally calmed down, Kid started to say something. "Maka…Do you think that maybe…You could stay here with me, forever?"

Maka nodded and smiled, "That sounds like fun!" Kid was so happy, he felt like he could jump for joy! He finally had a friend, and it was someone who was smart and knew how to have fun.

A knock came from the door. "Maka, are you in there? Your mom's busy talking with a scientist. Are you okay?"

* * *

><p><em>More memories lodged themselves into Maka's skull. It felt like her head itself was expanding from all the information, but the idea was absurd. <em>

_She wanted to cry, but kept a strong face on. Maka still needed to find out what she had to do. The next memory she was forced to watch looked like it took place a few years later._

* * *

><p>"Maka…I really like you. More than a friend." Kid looked like he was 14, and Maka looked as if she were 12.<p>

"R-Really?" Maka blushed crimson. She wasn't sure if he was serious of if this was a big joke that Liz and Kid were playing on her.

"Yes, really." Kid averted his gaze nervously. He hid his feelings for her for so long that he couldn't stand simply brushing fingers every once in a while.

"I think I like you too."

Surprised, Kid looked up to meet her eyes. "Are you serious? For how long?"

Maka thought back to when she might've fallen for the shinigami. "I'm pretty sure it was when we went swimming." She blushed when she remembered.

It wasn't that long ago. Maybe a few months had passed since then. "Oh? Did you like what you saw?" Kid teased.

Maka blushed and didn't say anything. She was caught red-handed. Kid laughed in response to the whole situation. "W-Well, what about you? When did you start liking me?"

"It was that time when you were reading _Cinderella _and I was about to walk into your room. I heard you say something like, 'I really wish I had a prince like that.' It made me really mad for some reason, and I realized I didn't want you to be with someone else."

It was Maka's turn to laugh uncontrollably. "You were…You were jealous of a fictional character? Haha!"

Kid blushed in embarrassment. When she finally did stop laughing, he walked closer to her, until they were almost touching. "…Can I kiss you?"

Maka turned beet red. "W-W-What?!" It was then that she noticed Kid was staring at her lips longingly. "…A-Alright. But only for a litt—"Kid leaned down quickly and kissed her. He didn't want to be too intimate and scare her away, so he settled on putting his hands on her shoulders. It was both of their first kisses, but Kid seemed to know what he was doing.

The kiss itself was really warm, but didn't last very long. He pulled away all too soon and stared into her eyes. "…How was it?"

"Really, really, good." Maka said, still thinking about it.

"Do you want to do it again?" Kid asked with a bit too much enthusiasm. Maka stood on her tiptoes and initiated the kiss this time.


	15. The Forgotten Void: Part Two

_(Recap)_

"…A-Alright. But only for a litt—"Kid leaned down quickly and kissed her. He didn't want to be too intimate and scare her away, so he settled on putting his hands on her shoulders. It was both of their first kisses, but Kid seemed to know what he was doing.

The kiss itself was really warm, but didn't last very long. He pulled away all too soon and stared into her eyes. "…How was it?"

"Really, really, good." Maka said, still thinking about it.

"Do you want to do it again?" Kid asked with a bit too much enthusiasm. Maka stood on her tiptoes and initiated the kiss this time.

* * *

><p>"<em>W-Woah. That's embarrassing to watch…" Maka blushed. "And about 3 years ago…?" She briefly wondered just how far they'd gone in their relationship. Hopefully since she was 14 at the maximum, they hadn't done anything like <em>that.

_More memories flooded her. She was learning just what kind of a person she was, and her entire past was being revealed. _

* * *

><p>"The prophecy…I have the most power to defeat the Darkness compared to all my ancestors. Probably because my mom gave hers to me…" A 14 year-old Maka trailed off as she looked through all the Latin notes, including the paper stating the prophecy.<p>

She was alone and technically snooping through all the hidden books. At the moment, she was sitting on the floor beside a shelf, which just so happened to be right next to the entrance.

Maka had been investigating late at night when everyone was asleep; something was wrong. She knew _someone_ was planning _something_ and it involved these papers.

In the mansion, there was Kid, Shinigami-sama, Spirit, Stein, and on some occasions, Sid. It was too convenient. Her mother died early on by giving her powers up, _supposedly_, and Spirit (she refuses to call him her dad) became an alcoholic with some strange hobby that kept him outside. Lord Death was always at the school he recently built, and Stein became a teacher there. Sid was a blue man, or rather, zombie, that Stein had 'created.'

_Stein._ Maka knew he had secrets, and probably had skeletons in his closet. He had the façade of an older, nice, scientist. And _sometimes _he seemed a little too sincere. Maka played out a scenario in her head. _What if _Stein had tricked her mother and she ended up making a mistake that would cost her life? And then he used Spirit because he knew the man was grieving? Perhaps it was the scientist who made him a drunk?

If all of this were true, that meant him being so close to Lord Death had to be another scheme. Maybe he was gaining trust of the strongest shinigami alive? And then, that would mean…

Maka gasped at the revolution and jotted down her conclusions on a piece of notebook paper. She heard footsteps behind her. Hurriedly, she stuffed the paper into the library shelf, hoping to get it later.

"I must give you credit, Albarn. I didn't think you could stay up so late. And…What's that you're looking at? You know that's a fake prophecy, right?"

Maka gathered her thoughts before turning around, "What are you planning?" Stein started walking closer.

"What are you talking about? I'm a harmless scientist who likes to help people." Maka gulped and gathered her courage. Her bravery was one of the things that set her apart from everyone else.

"…You're lying. I know what you are going to do, and_ I won't let you do it!_ All I have to do is tell Kid or Shinigami-sama!"

"You will do _no such thing_." Stein rushed towards her, planning to use his soul wavelength to knock her out. Maka dodged and ran out the door. She learned how to fight from Lord Death, but Maka knew she wasn't nearly good enough to handle Stein by herself.

He followed quickly, and she didn't have time to go the way she wanted to. If she did, he would've caught her easily on the steps.

The only way Maka thought she'd have a chance to escape was outside, which the entrance was straight ahead. She tripped over her own foot and grazed her knee on the ground. However, she was able to recover before he got to her.

Maka sprinted as fast as she could through the foliage. The rustling behind her alerted her to his presence. Out of nowhere, his hand gripped her arm. He brought his other hand to her forehead, intending to wipe her memory clean by sending his wavelength into her brain.

She couldn't dodge in time, and got the full-force of the beating. She screamed for a second, before kicking him away. Because Stein's entire attack wasn't entirely successful, her memories were being burned away one at a time.

They fought, and Maka was able to escape while Stein was recovering from one of her blows. Limping, and losing her memory, she made it to a clearing close to the park. Maka fell over in pain and exhaustion, only choosing this spot because there were small fireflies. They must've sensed the fact she needed their light to ward off the Darkness, and stayed close.

Unbeknownst to her, Stein made his way back to the mansion and cleaned up all the evidence.

* * *

><p>"<em>T-That was…I must've realized Stein was the enemy, but he erased my memories…And then the next day Soul found me. I remember that. Which means this was my last memory…" Maka was deep in thought.<em>

"…" _And then it hit her. "I know what I need to do! I'm going to stop the Darkness, but first I have to figure out just what it was I figured out on that night!"_

* * *

><p>Maka shot up in bed. "W-Was it a dream…?" She was in her room, alone, and she was hooked up to several machines. "No…It was real…!"<p>

She noticed her arms were filled with scars, but ignored them. Maka ripped the tubes off of her and disconnected the IVs. She jumped out of bed a little too quickly (She was wearing pajamas), and realized the hard way that she was weak.

Maka fell to the ground when her legs gave out and groaned. _I need to find Kid! _She pushed herself back up and forced herself out the door.

On her way to find him, (she didn't have a specific destination, she just _knew_), she fell over a few times. But it didn't matter. All that did was figuring out what that note said!

Maka ended up rushing into Kid's room. And, as cheesy as it sounds, it seemed like it was fate.

He looked up immediately from the disturbance, and his eyes widened, "M-Maka?!" She walked in more, and her knees gave out once again. Kid caught her this time and held her close.

"How are you awake? You were in a coma for a week because of blood loss!" Maka pushed on his chest lightly to look into his eyes. He didn't take his arms off of her shoulders in fear that she might just fall.

"There's more…Important things…Right now." She was still thoroughly exhausted, but she _had _to do this!

"What are you talking ab—""I remember everything. Me and you. The Darkness. Why I 'ran away'…" She took a brief second to breathe. "While I was out, I was with my mom, and for some reason she's inside of me, but then she took me to the Forgotten Void," another quick breath, "If I didn't figure out what I had to do then I would have to stay there forever, probably in a coma, but I know what I have to do!"

"Huh? Tell me what you remembered," Kid stared into her eyes. There was a new spark inside of them; the complete opposite of what he saw after Stein broke her. This was something he hadn't seen in her for a long time…Bravery. The same pure courage that he grew to love.

"Everything. When we first met, when my family moved in, when you confessed…" They both blushed briefly, "I didn't run away. Back then, I knew something was happening, and was searching for the answers. I wanted to do it alone, so I would sneak into the library at night. One time, I figured out _something_ important and that Stein was helping the Darkness. He found me and I was forced to hide my findings in the library shelf.

"I tried to escape, but he followed me. I didn't have time to backtrack or get to your room. The only way was to go outside, and I did. He used his soul wavelength to mess with my head, but didn't finish it completely. We ended up fighting, and I ran. His attack was meant to erase my memories, and it was working. Ever so slowly.

"I was so tired from the fight that I simply couldn't move anymore. I collapsed in that clearing and fireflies shielded me from any possible Darkness encounters. The next day, I was meeting Soul and had no idea of what happened the night before."

Kid absorbed all of the information, nodding a few times. "We need to get to the library, then. Right away." He picked her up piggy-back style, (symmetry is still important), and ran to the main library. She was still weak, after all.

Once there, Maka jumped off and started toward the obvious, first shelf. She sat down just like she had that one fateful night and looked at the doorway. "This is the spot!"

It was all familiar. The view, the books in the shelf, and even the ground reminded her of the vibrant memory.

Kid crouched down beside her, "What are we looking for?"

Maka started rummaging through the books, "A paper from a notebook. Kind of small. I stuffed it between two books here somewhere…"

Her hand brushed a corner of a paper when moving to the next book. Maka's eyes darted to the culprit and realized that this was it!

She pulled it out immediately, "I found it! Kid, it's right here!" Kid watched the paper expectantly as Maka unfolded it slowly. The suspense was killing both of them, but she couldn't force herself to move faster. Her hands were shaking, and _anything _could be written here.

It was hastily marked and a little hard to read:

_Stein is helping Darkness. - _

_He wants revenge against the world because his love, Marie, was killed. Nobody helped him, including police. -_

_ Darkness tricked him and told him he could kill those people and everyone else if he would help it in its ambition. -  
><em>

_Only way to stop the Darkness is to -  
><em>

It ended there. In the past, Maka must not have had time to finish her recollection. Every line was in a different colored ink; she must've written this over a period of time.

"Do you know what the end is supposed to be?" Kid glanced hopefully at his companion.

"…No." Maka sighed, defeated. She was about to put the note back into the shelf when Kid stopped her, "Wait! There's something written on the back!"

Maka quickly flipped it to the back. An address…? Along with a statement?

_(MUST GO HERE!)_

124 Street Upid

In Testing Room

Sid Gusting, NV 09526

"Kid…What does this mean? Do you know where this is?" Maka was dumbfounded.

"I've never been, but I know where the town is. It's not that far…And if you wrote that we_ must_ go there, I think we need to follow the directions."

"Are you sure? 'In Testing Room' doesn't sound too good." Maka pointed out. Kid took the paper from her hand and put it in his pocket. "It's probably really important. It might have to do with defeating the Darkness."

"…You're right. When will we go?" Maka and Kid both stood up.

"Tonight. The sooner, the better."

* * *

><p><strong><em>(Author's Notes: Thanks for all the love in the last chapter! There were so many reviews that I just had to update sooner than usual. If this chapter confuses you, let me know, and I'll clear it up a bit. Also, the address is NOT real by any means.<em>**

**_If anyone is wondering, no, I do not hate Stein. I can't say anything else without spoilers, so just wait, 'kay?  
><em>**

**_I don't want this Note to get too long, so this will be the last thing I mention. This story became a lot more serious and in depth than I intended. I didn't think Stein was going to be the one helping the Darkness, but I'm the kind of writer that has ideas come into their heads while they're writing and those ideas become really important in the plot. But it's more fun this way! ;)  
><em>**


	16. Taking Chances

**6:58 P.M.**

"We're leaving in about an hour. If you all want to go, you can. But only bring the necessities." Maka informed. Soul, Black*Star, Liz, Patty, and Spirit were staring at the blonde in confusion. Most of them were just now aware that Maka had awoken from her coma.

Kid was currently on his way to inform his Father of the recent events and that they were going to be departing soon.

She intended to give the others time to make a quick decision while discussing some important things, "Spirit. Can we talk?" Maka looked straight into the man's eyes. He nodded simply and followed her out of the room.

Maka closed her eyes and gathered her thoughts. "I know that we're family; I remember everything. But I'm still not ready to call you my dad. I just wanted to make sure we were on friendly terms."

"Yes…It's about time we make up. I'm sorry about all those years. I promise I'll be a better father." Maka hugged Spirit experimentally.

"…This is the only time I'm going to do this." She commented seriously, feeling sick to her stomach. He didn't reply.

"I'd like you to stay here and watch over the house. I'd feel better leaving that way." Maka pulled away from the embrace, not in a hurry to do it again.

"Okay. But I'd like you to take this. If you get into trouble, drink it." Spirit pushed a bottle with a strange red liquid into her hand.

"What is it…?" Maka questioned, curiously eyeing the container.

"Don't worry about it, Maka dear. Just be safe." Spirit smiled at his finally-acknowledged daughter. He shook hands with her respectfully before waving goodbye.

Maka once again returned to the living room where her friends were, putting the bottle into her pocket. Everyone had determined expressions on their faces.

Black*Star was the one who spoke, "We're all going."

Maka smiled at her loyal companions, grateful for such dependable allies. "I'm glad. You should probably get packing, then. Only what you need. Maybe an extra outfit since we don't know how long we'll be gone."

The others all nodded in sync and stood up. "…There's only thirty-five minutes left." Maka pointed out. They were going a bit too slow in her opinion.

"Seriously?!" Liz's jaw dropped before she ran up the stairs, dragging her laughing sister behind her. Soul and Black*Star trailed behind, not really caring to move faster.

Maka then heard heavy footfalls and the main door closing loudly. A little startled, she made her way to the entrance. "Is that you Kid?"

Indeed, there was a figure there. "Quickly, turn on the lights…Maka…" She followed orders and pressed the switch.

Kid was there, but he was doubled over, gasping for air. Maka rushed over to help him stand, "Kid? Are you okay? What happened?"

"I…Got ambushed…By the Darkness…It…Is afraid…" He gasped out. A couple of seconds later, he managed to get his breath under control and looked into her eyes, "I was able to run away in time. But it followed me and is trying to get inside. We _need _to turn all of the lights on. And we're going to have to be a little…Creative when we try to leave."

The shinigami stood up straight, recovered from the long distance sprint. "Did you get to the school and see Shinigami-sama?"

"Yes, I saw Chichiue. It was on my way back when it tried to get me. Now, we need to get all of the lights on. That way, we can be symmetrical and safe." Maka would've laughed if the situation weren't so dire.

"I'll take the left side. Meet me back here when you're finished." She then took off down the hallway, turning on all of the lights as she went. Occasionally she would go in the rooms and turn those on in turn.

Eventually, she made it through all the rooms without seeing anyone she recognized. Maka briefly recalled that all the guest compartments were on the other side of the building, and thus Kid had to take care of them.

She allowed herself a moment to breathe and complimented her hard work. She then noticed some scars on her hand. _Is that from…? _Maka shuddered from the thought. She pulled her sleeve up slowly and saw even more running up and down her arm. _He cut me a lot more than I thought…_

On her shoulder, she noticed a word etched in. "St…Stupid?" Maka started looking over her skin, checking for any other words. She felt raised skin on her cheek and realized they were scars too. "…Stein."

Next, she lifted her shirt slightly to show her stomach. It took a minute to read the writing, but it unmistakably read 'Disgusting.'

"Why didn't I see this before? …Why didn't anyone tell me?" Dejectedly, Maka ran her hands along the scars again.

"Well…They're just scars. Yeah…I should be glad I'm still alive." She pulled her sleeves back down and started walking back to their meeting place, not fully convinced.

Kid was pacing impatiently with a troubled expression. His face lit up when he saw her. "I was getting worried. What took so long?"

Maka folded her arms over her midsection securely, briefly wondering if she should mention it. "…It's nothing."

"What's wrong? Did something happen?" Kid put his hands on her shoulders and she avoided his questioning gaze. "Please tell me. I can't stand it when you're hurting."

"I'm fine. We don't have very much time, so let's go and get the others," She turned away from him and started towards the stairs, determined to be strong and not worry him with something so trivial.

But her stride was halted when his arms wrapped around her waist. His warm breath was tickling her neck. "Maka, there's always time if something is bothering you. And if not, we can just make time."

"The Darkness is right outside, Kid. I'm not important right now…" Maka tried in vain to pry his fingers off.

"Don't you remember what I said before? I love you. You will _always _be important to me." Kid didn't show any signs of letting go.

"Okay... I saw all the scars. That's what I've been thinking about. I know it's stupid, I couldn't help it though. I promised myself I wouldn't say anything because I want to be stronger and braver…" She trailed off in her rant.

Kid listened entirely until she was speaking too quietly. He used his hands to turn her around so she was facing him. "I'm sorry about that… I was healing you and I didn't have enough magic. So it's my fault."

"Are you guys done yet?" Black*Star called down the stairs. Embarrassed, Maka jumped away with a blush.

Kid glared up at him for ruining the moment. But it wasn't just Black*Star. Soul, Liz, and Patty were watching too. The sisters were giggling at the scene while Soul looked slightly unsettled.

"So, if that monster is out there, how are we going to get out?" Soul asked, eager to change the subject by bringing everyone's attention to the important matter.

"You're right. Let's move to the living room. It's not…Smart to do this here." Kid held Maka's hand and pulled her along.

* * *

><p>"As much as I don't want to say this, I think we're going to need a distraction." Kid cringed at the thought that someone was going to have to be left behind. "And…There's only one person that I know can see it, and has gotten away from it before."<p>

Everyone slowly turned their eyes onto Black*Star. He had a serious expression on his face. "Look, I know what all of you are trying to say. But that sounds like an average job not fit for a star like me."

"Black*Star, you're the only one that can do it and the only one we can rely on." Maka stated seriously, knowing the only way he would do it was if his ego was inflated.

"...Well, when you put it like that Maka… I suppose I can do it, since _I'm_ the only one who can." He puffed out his chest arrogantly. Kid turned back to Liz, Patty, and Soul.

"Are you three sure you want to go? If something happens…" He trailed off, hoping they understood what he meant.

"We're in. We couldn't let you risk your life without us." Liz smiled as Patty nodded.

"I'm not going to be the only uncool one staying here." Soul smirked, showing his shark-like teeth to everyone.

"Alright. With the change of circumstances, we won't be able to bring any bags with us. Also, we're going to have to do split up. Maka and I will be the first team. Liz and Patty, you two will work together. And Soul…You'll be on your own. At least until Black*Star catches up with you. We will all be meeting up at the Death Station, and the train leaves in about forty-five minutes, which is at nine o'clock. If you do not make it…We will have to assume the worst and continue the journey without you. Does everyone understand?" Kid informed everyone of the game plan.

The Thompson sisters put their arms around each other lovingly. Soul and Black*Star both nodded to each other simply. Kid gave Maka a brief hug before everyone stood up.

"Good luck, Black*Star. Make sure to get out safely." Maka fist-bumped with the aforementioned boy.

"Of course I'll survive. What we need to worry about is whether or not you guys will be able to make it out of here with 5 minutes of a distraction." Black*Star gloated. He was already walking towards the entrance.

Kid and Maka both were going to get out through a window on the 3rd floor, Liz and Patty were going to take off from the right side of the mansion, and Soul was planning on taking the back exit. Black*Star waited a good three minutes before deciding to head out.

It was darker than he had imagined it would be. And he could see _it_, trying to slink its way inside the building. The light from inside that should've penetrated through the shadows didn't even get past the doorframe.

"Hey, remember me? You were _so_ easy to get away from last time." Black*Star got its attention. It was hard to describe its appearance. To put it simply, it looked like a mass of black fog that could expand and shrink its size, and thus changing its density in a way that could suffocate someone.

"_If it isn't the little blue boy from the Star Clan I wiped out!" _The voice taunted. That struck a nerve.

"What did you say?" Black*Star asked through gritted teeth, getting in a battling stance.

* * *

><p>"I'm nervous…What if something happens?" Maka clung to Kid while they were on Beelzebub.<p>

"He's your friend, Maka. He should be fine against it. And everyone knows where they're going, right?" Kid attempted to reassure her as he steered his skateboard. With this kind of transport, they would be at the Death Station in about fifteen minutes.

"I suppose… But it doesn't seem fair that we get to use this while the others have to walk." She pointed out, still feeling anxious.

"I promise that they'll all make it safely. If something does happen and they don't…I don't even want to think about it. They _will_ get through this."

* * *

><p><strong>(Author's Notes: I know this is rushed, but I was trying to finish it by tonight... So I'm sorry it's so terrible... . Thanks for the great reviews, and even though I hate this chapter so much maybe you guys might enjoy it. I thank everyone who is still reading this story!)<strong>


	17. Death Station

"Patty…Does it feel like someone is watching us? …Do you think ghosts exist?" Liz whispered to her sister as they moved through the woods. She was afraid of all supernatural things, especially ghosts.

"Hehe! No, silly, they don't exist! Only the Darkness does." Patty did her best to keep her voice down, but it wasn't very quiet.

"You're right…Do you think it is going to come after us? What if it's already on the move? Patty!" Liz freaked out. The Darkness scared her just as much as dead people did.

"Nooo, Blue*Star is taking care of it, remember sis?" Patty laughed at her sister for being so naïve.

"Patty… I think his name is 'Black*Star.'" Liz commented seriously as they continued through the forest.

"Really?! But his hair is BLUE!" The younger sister giggled either at the obvious stupidity of whomever named him, or because of the silly hair color.

"I worry about you sometimes."

* * *

><p><em>Okay, Soul. Be cool. You only have to get to the Death Station and you'll be safe. Don't get scared of some weird monster.<em> Soul thought to himself.

Despite his strong resolve, he couldn't help but feel a little bit afraid. He was alone, and the Darkness could come after him at any second. He was an easy target; he couldn't see it and surely didn't know how to fight it if fate had it show up.

Soul had been in plenty of fights before with other boys, but he didn't even KNOW what he was up against. Not really.

At the moment, he was running through a field. If he was right, the Death Station was that way. Soul jumped over some fallen trees, watching his steps carefully.

It had hurt him at first when he realized Maka was in love with Kid. But eventually, he understood his place as her special friend and would support her no matter what happened. And this was a good example of one of those times. Soul promised to himself he would protect Maka when the time came, _if _it came to that.

His thoughts wandered around other subjects, such as if Black*Star was alright and about how the others were doing. And then he looked around at fog that must've appeared while he was thinking.

"…I'm lost, aren't I?" He glanced around for anything that could be familiar, but everything was shrouded in mist. Soul walked around aimlessly for a bit before running into a plank of wood.

"What the…?" He rubbed his forehead from the impact and stared at the sign. It read:

_The Lost Souls Grove_

_There is no hope for ye of little luck. May Death come to claim you soon. _

The sign looked very old. The second half was obviously engraved into the wood by somebody after it was posted. Soul was startled by the content, but dismissed it as unruly teenagers. He didn't quite believe himself.

"What have I gotten myself into…?"

* * *

><p>"Are they going to make it Kid? There's only twenty minutes until the train leaves…" Maka asked worriedly as she glanced up at the clock. They were already sitting on a bench at the Death Station with tickets.<p>

"They'll be here. And if not, they probably just got lost." Kid reassured, although not entirely positive himself.

"Yeah, you're right…What do we do until they get here?" Maka clasped her hands nervously, anxiously glancing over at the shinigami.

"We could… People-watch." Kid suggested even though he didn't like the idea of watching asymmetrical people walking around in the station.

Maka thought for a moment before agreeing. The idea of 'people-watching' was to guess what a random person is doing without actually knowing them; to guess what their life is like.

"How about…Her?" Kid looked over at some woman with purple-ish hair and a witch-like hat. Despite the odd appearance, she seemed like a nice lady that was a bit…Perverted. At the moment she was flirting with a middle-aged man.

"Eh…I'd rather not. How about…Wait. That looks like…" Maka stared at one particular girl getting off of a train. She was covered up in a large coat, but it was unmistakably _her_.

"…Tsubaki…" Maka whispered to herself as she stared at her best friend that was supposed to be dead.

"What…? That's…" Kid recognized her as well. After all, he had _seen _what was left of her after the Darkness consumed her soul. He had told Maka she was dead too, after all.

Maka jumped out of her seat and ran to her old friend. When she got there, she threw her arms around Tsubaki. "Ack!"

Maka had knocked her off balance and they were both on the floor. "Tsubaki! I thought you were dead! What happened?"

Tsubaki looked frightened, but spoke quietly, "Shh, Maka, don't talk so loudly…" She glanced around, almost seeming worried as to who was around. Kid had caught up to them and pulled them onto their feet.

"A lot…Has happened since I saw you last, Maka." Tsubaki admitted, still looking scared. Kid opted to remain silent as Maka ushered her friend to tell her. Everyone else in the Death Station went about their business as if they didn't exist.

"As you know…I was brought up with Black*Star and we were trained as ninjas…And both went through the Blood Ritual…So I could see the Obscured One. I was able to use a dummy to escape at the last second, and it doesn't know I'm still alive. There's so much you don't know…"

A loud crash directed everyone's attention to the entrance of the station. Liz had collapsed tiredly as her sister patted her back.

"Liz! Patty!" Kid called to the two, happy that they made it okay. The two glanced towards whoever called their names, and practically jumped over.

"No problems, right?" The shinigami questioned the Thompson sisters who nodded to the inquiry. The trip was just a little tiring.

Maka glanced up to the clock. Twelve minutes until the train would be boarding.

"Where have you been, Tsubaki? Why didn't you come back?" Tsubaki smiled shakily at her friend.

"I've been researching and trying to find out as much as I could on the Obscured One. I can't…I can't talk right now. It's not the right time for you to know…" Tsubaki glanced around again.

"What are you talking about?" Maka furrowed her brow, confused by her friend's strange behavior. Tsubaki shook her head in reply.

"If I say anything now…The future will change. You shouldn't have even seen me… I'll come to you when the time is right. Maka…Please tell Black*Star that I'm still alive," Tsubaki quickly hugged Maka.

Liz scratched her head. She didn't even know who this person was.

"_TSUBAKI!_" Black*Star shouted, gaining every single person's attention. He looked beat up, one arm was completely limp, but he was in one piece. When Maka looked back, Tsubaki was gone.

Black*Star ran up to the group with a stricken expression on his face. "…She used the vanishing technique…There's no way we can find her now…" He mumbled to himself.

Everyone was silent for a few seconds, and in that time Maka looked back to the clock. Three minutes. "Black*Star? How did it go?" Kid questioned, curious of his newest Darkness encounter.

"Well, it was a fierce battle…" Black*Star jumped right into story-mode, trying to forget about Tsubaki being gone again. Maka could tell that back in her school days the two had crushes on each other.

* * *

><p><em>"<em>_If it isn't the little blue boy from the Star Clan I wiped out!" __The voice taunted. That struck a nerve._

_"What did you say?" Black*Star asked through gritted teeth, getting in a battling stance._

"_I killed all of your clan and enjoyed it so. The only thing sweeter would be to finish the job," it sneered. Black*Star grabbed a shuriken from a hidden pouch on the inside of his shirt and threw it at the Darkness. "Shut up!"_

_It dissipated around the weapon and lurched towards the assailant. Black*Star dodged by jumping to the side and throwing a kunai. This time, the knife simply went straight through._

_He cursed to himself, unsure of his next attack. Black*Star wasn't prepared for when the Darkness surrounded him suddenly. His well-toned skills and instincts told him to move, and he did, but not enough. It crushed his left arm and Black*Star heard a distinct snap. _

_If he were a normal boy, he would probably have screamed from the pain. But he was brought up as a ninja and knew how to mask it._

_The Darkness then did something totally unexpected, it—_

* * *

><p>"Train for Sid Gusting at 9:00, boarding now. I repeat, the train for Sid Gusting is boarding now!" The intercom blared.<p>

Black*Star was angry at the interruption, but everyone did make their way to the train. No one noticed that they were the only ones boarding.

Maka looked uncertainly back to the entrance of the Death Station before speaking, "Black*Star…? Where's Soul?"

"…I don't know. I didn't see him anywhere, and I ran pretty far to confuse the Darkness. Hopefully it didn't go for him after my godly appearance…" Black*Star held his left arm, still unable to move it.

"We'll look for him when we get back. We can't stop here…" Kid promised, not liking the idea of leaving Soul behind. They had become friends while living together, and were pretty close because of Maka.

"Guys, we're going to miss the train." Liz pointed to the object. The front had a skull similar to Shinigami-sama's mask. The rest of it was jet black, and was famous for not being seen while in motion.

Maka hoped to Death that Soul was okay. She considered him to be her brother and if anything happened to him…Maka shuddered at the thought.

"You're right…Let's go, everyone." Kid grabbed Maka's hand and led everyone onto the train. Black*Star was impatient to continue his story and gain everyone's attention once again, but waited for them to sit down.

"Okay, so like I was saying about how awesome I was, the Darkness then—""The train will now depart Death Station. Everyone, please take your seats. We will be arriving at Sid Gusting in about thirty minutes. As part of regulation, I must tell you of some safety concerns. This train can reach 450mph in some places, so I would recommend staying in your seats until we arrive. Also, if you get sick, please try to get to the restrooms as quickly as possible.

"The technology to nullify the high speed's affect on the human body is still being developed, so we cannot help you with that. We as the staff of Death Station hope you have a wonderful trip…_Blair_, don't mess with that…! Wait, is this still on?" The voice stuttered for a moment before turning the intercom off.

An awkward silence filled in after that until the train started to move. Maka was lost in thought and wasn't paying attention, however. _I wonder what happened to Tsubaki to make her so…Frightened. And why was she talking about the future? She knows something… But what? Did I know when I wrote the note to this address? And what about Soul…? I hope he is okay. Maybe he just got lost…_

Maka was pulled out of her reverie when the train picked up speed. It was definitely going over 200mph at this point. Her stomach lurched and she realized that there were no seatbelts. She was sure they were going over 250 now. Everyone else looked extremely sick except Kid. He seemed to be as calm as can be.

"Why aren't you…Being affected?" Maka's head was spinning in circles as she tried to get used to the feeling.

"I'm a shinigami, not a human, remember? This is nothing for me…Here." Kid put his arm around Maka and pulled her close so she wouldn't fall off the seats like so many others. They _really _needed to add some seatbelts.

Liz jumped out of her seat and ran to what she assumed to be the restroom. She looked like she needed to throw up.

Maka mumbled a thanks to him, trying not to lose her lunch as well. Black*Star was irked at being interrupted not once, but TWO times in a row and was itching to show off.

"ANYWAYS, I know you guys really wanted to know how a star like me got through and survived EVEN though my arm is broken. SO…" Black*Star continued where he left off.

* * *

><p><em>The Darkness then did something totally unexpected, it retreated into the ground. Black*Star didn't even know it could do that.<em>

_But he still had to distract it for his friends. "__**HEY**__! WHY ARE YOU RUNNING OFF? AFRAID OF A BIG MAN LIKE ME?" _

_The receding Darkness stopped its descent. For something that plotted to destroy the world, it had a lot of pride in itself and couldn't stand being ridiculed._

"_No, you are a mere __**worm**__ before me. I was going to go get the prize that has so foolishly shown itself; Maka Albarn. I know that you are meant to distract me. Now, to claim her soul…" The essence continued to dissolve into the ground._

"_I am no worm! I could beat Maka up any day of the week! You are nothing to my superior strength!" Black*Star gloated. They were very alike, except for the fact that one was evil and the other was not._

_The Darkness leapt towards Black*Star, intent on making him eat those words. The ninja dodged and sprinted away. He led the monster away from the direction of the Death Station, which was actually quite the task with how fast it was. _

_Black*Star rummaged in his pocket for his special weapon that he secretly packed away back at the Gallows. He jumped into the air and twisted around. The Darkness followed quickly and was advancing up his legs._

_The ninja pulled out the flashlight and clicked the switch. Once it was on, Black*Star waved it like a sword at the evil essence. It was working, and he drove it away with the light. He took a breath before making his way to the Death Station to meet his friends. Black*Star hoped he had given them enough time to get there._

_But then he was attacked by a huge green dinosaur that he destroyed with his super powers. Suddenly an alien landed, and Black*Star—_

* * *

><p>"Black*Star, there's no way that happened." Maka glared at her friend. He was definitely trying to get attention by gloating.<p>

"Yeah, an alien and a dinosaur? Really?" Kid stared in disgust at the ninja's little story. Patty was laughing hysterically before falling to the ground and giggling more.

"Well, I didn't _lie_; I just stretched the truth a little." Black*Star defended, not liking the fact that he was being laughed at.

Liz struggled to get back to her chair with an ill expression. She still didn't look very good. By now the train was going at least 400mph; Maka was having trouble seeing her friends.

Maka glanced out the window. They were still underground, and even if they weren't everything would be a blur. She then checked the clock hanging over the door that led to the next compartment. 9:20; ten minutes until they would be at the city.

"Kid, is Sid Gusting a large town?" Maka questioned. With Kid holding her, she felt a lot better. She briefly wondered if he was using magic to ease the burden.

"…No. Haven't you noticed the lack of people on board? The village is deserted." Kid explained easily. Maka's jaw dropped.

"Deserted? Why does the train even take people there, then?" Black*Star was trying to get Patty to stop laughing, but it was an impossible task. Liz ran to the bathroom once again.

"It used to be a city flourishing with life and everyone used to visit by going on this train. But the Darkness killed all of the people living there, and without any care the buildings began to break down. These tracks haven't been properly taken care of for years." Kid clarified.

"If no one goes anymore, then why are we able to? And how do you know all of this?" Maka asked question after question. She needed to have all of the details.

"My Father was able to make arrangements. And, being a shinigami I've had to study different places and their histories. I specifically studied Sid Gusting because it had ties to the Darkness. I never got the chance to visit, however."

Maka nodded in understanding. She only had one question left. "…How long ago did the Darkness destroy it?"

"About a decade ago." This time, Kid checked the clock. They would be arriving any minute now. Liz returned to her seat once again. The train started to slow down gradually, and everyone was sliding towards the front. Maka blushed when she was pulled even closer to Kid.

After a good minute of slowing down, the train reached a complete stop. Liz was looking a lot better, and the doors opened.

The intercom spoke in a boring tone, "We have arrived at Sid Gusting. You may get off the train at this time. NO, Blair don't touch that!" Suddenly, Black*Star's seat ejected and he hit the ceiling. Hard.

"Geko, I'm so sorry if someone was sitting there. Blair, you should get fired!" The voice somewhat resembled a frog's.

"I'm not fit for this job! Sorry," A more feminine voice rang through. Everyone sweat-dropped as Black*Star fell back down.

The intercom shut off and yelling could be heard in the background. Those two probably didn't get along too well. Maka stepped off the train first and the others followed her, Black*Star stumbling a little.

A few seconds later, the metal contraption took off once again. They were currently in a broken down building that was probably supposed to be the train station. Even though it was already dark, the odd atmosphere just smelled like 'death' and 'gloom.' The moon wasn't even visible.

"…Talk about a nice place, huh?" Liz commented jokingly. Everyone walked out of the building and looked around.

"We're looking for Street Upid, guys." Kid informed. Patty pointed to the left and practically screamed, "I found it! I found it! It's over there!" Liz shushed her sister by cupping her mouth.

The group, ready to get this over with and leave such a dreadful place, sprinted down the street Patty had pointed out. Indeed, it was the right place.

"We're looking for house number 124." Maka said between breaths. She had that note memorized.

"It's that one." Liz stopped running and stared at the only building still standing in a reasonable condition. Kid investigated it and deemed it the right structure.

They entered it and searched for a 'Testing Room.' Apparently it was supposed to be a hospital, because some doors had names of doctors on them.

Eventually they found the Testing Room. Kid didn't hesitate as he opened the door and stepped in. There was a single bed covered in curtains, and a single machine was beeping in the background. Black*Star headed to it and pulled the curtains back.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Author's Notes: Haha, I'm terrible for leaving all these cliffhangers, huh? XD I made this chapter longer than the others, so I hope you enjoyed that. What do you think was behind the curtains? What about Soul and Tsubaki? Stay tuned!)<strong>_


	18. Fool Me Once, Shame on You

A single person rested on the bed. Maka assumed the patient was a she by the pink hair and dress-like outfit.

Everyone was surprised when her eyes snapped open and the girl sat up quickly. Her attention immediately landed on Maka; her entire body shook slightly and she had a bit of a crazy expression.

"I-It's Maka. I knew she would come soon. But…" She looked over the group slowly, "W-Why are they all here?"

Maka blinked a couple of times, confused by the way she seemed to speak to herself and because she knew her name. "Who are you?"

Self-consciously, she gripped her right arm tightly. "I-I'm Crona, the Demon Swordsman. Did you know my blood is black?" Crona's grin turned somewhat eerie.

"Demon Swordsman?" Kid questioned. In all honesty he had never heard of such a thing.

"Oh yes. M-My purpose is to kill. I have a very special sword, but she took it away from me because I wouldn't kill Maka." Maka sweated visibly, unable to break eye contact with the supposed swordsman.

"Does 'she' help the Darkness?" Kid inquired, making sure his tone sounded firm and one of higher standing; he even ignored the fact that she 'killed' people.

"I-I don't know of her intentions. I disobeyed her and was f-forced to stay here. This machine stimulates my blood—you know it's black, right? W-Which is what my sword does, and without it I will die." The beeping from the machine continued in the background.

"Why was it imperative to come see you?" Kid asked with slight anger in his voice at the fact they weren't getting anywhere with the Darkness. Crona simply tilted her head without answering and continued staring into Maka's eyes.

"Kid…" Maka mumbled quietly, but he still heard her. "We need to find her sword. I've got this feeling…I can't describe it, but I _know_ that we have to do it."

The shinigami didn't question her, but quirked his eyebrows slightly. "But just WHERE is this sword and WHAT does it look like?" Black*Star caught everyone's attention.

"His name is Ragnarok and she hid him somewhere where no one could retrieve him; The L-Lost Souls Grove."

Logically, Liz put her two cents in, "Not that I'm against it or anything, but why help her? I mean, we kind of have bigger things on our plate right now."

Black*Star was starting to get creeped out by the fact that Crona and Maka were_ still_ staring at each other. It was almost like they were having their very own private conversation that no one else could understand.

"Without me, you can't defeat the D-Darkness. The black blood is… The black blood is needed to kill it because that is part of what it's made up of."

Kid had been silent for a few minutes, and his eyes were slightly widened. "_The _Lost Souls Grove?!"

Liz stared at him quizzically. "What's so important about that place?"

Patty giggled to herself as she poked Black*Star. He tried to get her to stop so he could hear this important bit of information but she wouldn't let up.

"It's…a special place. The Lost Souls Grove is always moving; so it's almost impossible to find. That grove…It's for shinigami."

* * *

><p>"What's that…?" Soul rubbed his eyes several times. This <em>must <em>have been a dream. He was seeing red and blue orbs of light everywhere! And… There was a slightly ominous feel about this whole area.

Curiously, he reached out to one of those blue things and turned it around in his hand. Soul's eyes widened when he realized it had a face.

"Strange, isn't it?" Soul dropped the orb and whirled around to the voice. A woman cloaked in black stood there, examining her longer-than-average length nails. Her eyes and hair were a strange yellow and she had tattoos running up and down her arms. She was barefoot.

"Who are you?" He got into a fighting stance, not ready to trust anyone in such an odd place.

"My, my. Don't be so hasty; I am not here to fight you. My name is Medusa, and you are…?" The lady glanced nonchalantly at him.

"I'm Soul." He still didn't relax. Medusa walked closer to him which only caused him to tense even more.

"Are you curious about this place, Soul?" She placed her hands on his forearms and pushed them down to his sides.

"Yes." Soul gave her a hard glare for getting so close to him, but did not resist. Medusa smirked.

"Well, first, I must ask: Do you know what a shinigami is?" Soul contemplated his answer for a few seconds and scratched his head.

"Not really. I do know one though." He admitted. All he really knew about them was that they were stronger than humans and there was _something _about dead people.

Medusa chuckled at him before explaining, "A shinigami is an immortal death god. Their job is to take humans to be judged for the lives they led. And sometimes, those people struggle," she tried to hide the amusement in her voice, "and escape. The Grove of Lost Souls is where they must spend eternity. These," Medusa grabbed both a blue orb and a red one, "Are their souls. The blue ones are innocent and the red ones are evil."

Soul nodded in understanding but was furrowing his brow. _Was _this what Kid referred to when he said he was a shinigami?

"But I don't get how these are people." He motioned to the souls in Medusa's hands.

"Every single living being has a soul within them. Shinigami and a few special people can see them. When shinigami come to collect a human, they must deliver a lethal blow to 'bring about' the soul for easier storage. They're very good for magical uses, but most importantly…" She paused for effect and raised a soul to her lips.

"They taste wonderful." Soul stared at the woman incredulously. Had he heard her correctly?

"Aren't those people though?" His sharp teeth showed clearly with his disgust.

"Oh Soul… They're doomed here, don't you see? Try one." Medusa shoved a red soul down his throat and forced him to swallow. It left a strange sensation in his throat which was oddly… Pleasing.

"And…?" Her slightly narrowed eyes watched his reaction closely. Soul shivered both from the texture of his snack and from Medusa's calculating gaze.

"It was strange. But…Good." He admitted. There was a lingering feeling in his mouth that made him wanting more.

"Why not try a blue one? …They're even better." Medusa promised before handing Soul a handpicked one. The thought of having another one made his heart beat faster and without hesitation he gulped it down. She was right; it did taste good. This one made his spirits soar and he felt like he could defeat an entire army.

Medusa sneered before sauntering away. "…Let's walk, Soul." The male secretly stuffed his pockets with his now favorite snack; blue souls. However, it didn't go unnoticed by the woman who snickered to herself.

Soul raced to catch up to Medusa. "Hey, wait up!" As she stopped, Medusa had shadows covering her entire face and had an extremely evil expression. This was going just as she had planned.

He panted for a moment before asking, "So what are we doing now?" They began their walk towards the deepest part of the grove. The further they went, the harder it became to see through the fog.

"I wish to give you a gift. I've been waiting a long time for you to get here." Medusa sounded sincere and genuine, but she was simply a good actress.

"A gift? What is it?" Soul couldn't hide the eagerness in his voice when he spoke. The last time someone gave him something was when Maka made him chocolates on Valentine's Day a while back. _I wonder if Maka's okay…_

"A sword. It will suite you perfectly." Medusa knew exactly where she was going. The fog may have blinded her, but she had put a magical tracker on the sword itself.

"Uh…Miss Medusa. Do you know how to escape here?" Soul inquired. The more he thought about Maka, the more worried he became.

"Hm…," She pretended to think, "I don't think so. I have yet to find the exit." A lie. There was a rather simple way to get out of the Lost Souls Grove, but she wasn't about to let him know that.

"…I see." They continued their trek in silence, and Soul occasionally grabbed a soul and swallowed it. Medusa seemed amused, so he stopped trying to hide it. He didn't take any care as to which color he was ingesting.

"How did you come to this place, Soul?" Medusa questioned. She was curious, but the point of the inquiry was to gain trust and ultimately his undying loyalty. But that would take time.

Soul gulped down the remnants of his bite before explaining his situation. He didn't seem to hold anything back and let out all of the details about the Darkness and even Maka.

_So the Darkness has made a move, huh? Interesting. But with this plan of mine…There will be no point. Heh. _Medusa then realized Soul had been talking and only caught the last few words of his dialogue.

"—Did you get here?" She assumed he was asking about how she arrived in the Lost Souls Grove, and decided that she would answer accordingly.

"I was out gathering some information when I got lost in this place!" She gasped overdramatically. Soul seemed to accept the answer anyway.

"What kind of information?" He would've looked over to Medusa, but the fog was so deep at this point that he couldn't see the bridge of his own nose.

"Don't say this too loudly, but…I am working against the Darkness. I've been gathering information about it and its…Adversaries." Medusa said.

"What?! You're _against_ the Darkness, too? I thought you were a witch that was helping it in secret. …So cool… That means we could join forces." Soul smirked at his own cleverness as if he had solved some big case.

_He's only half-right. _Medusa thought amusedly. "And your friends? I believe you mentioned Maka, Black*Star, Kid, and two sisters? How will they feel about this?" She sounded flattered with a tinge of uncertainty.

"Oh, they'll be fine with it. You know, what with the information you gathered on it; any little bit can help." Soul munched on another blue soul. _He doesn't know what he's getting into. Poor kid._

"Yes, indeed. We're getting close now, I believe…" Medusa glanced around, checking for where the sword's presence was strongest. "Yes, here!"

The fog made it impossible to pay attention to what exactly Medusa was doing. She used this for an advantage and several snakes slid down her arms, seeming to have appeared from the tattoos. They silently burrowed into the ground obediently and pulled out the handle of the sword from the rubble.

Soul reached out slowly as Medusa beckoned him to do, and he felt the grip. Something about this sword was calling out to him. It almost had the same strange feeling as all of those souls he had eaten.

Soul's eyes went out of focus, and his hand wrapped around the handle. The commotion only strengthened and he now heard voices in his head commanding him to take the sword. All of those blue souls…He had devoured innocent people's souls. The realization hit him as hard as a brick.

But he couldn't stop himself. Soul pulled the sword from the ground swiftly and the madness consumed him.

"Oh? A new wielder other than the dimwitted pansy?" The sword questioned tauntingly. Soul grinned manically before swallowing another blue soul. They were delicious!

"Yes. This is…" Medusa spoke slowly.

"Soul Eater."

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Author's Notes: Alrighttt, a new chapter! Okay, first things first, I depicted Crona as a GIRL, so please do not argue on hisher gender. Sorry that there wasn't as much fluff in this chapter and that there was more plot development, but I'll work on it! I hope you liked it!)**_


	19. The New Dog

"O-Oh my…" Crona's eyes widened in some sort of realization. Everyone else watched curiously, unsure of what to make of the sudden statement.

"What happened?" Liz questioned. Crona's hand gripped onto the sheets tightly and her entire visage shook slightly.

"Someone other than _her _has taken R-Ragnarok out. Oh, this isn't good…" Maka walked slowly next to the bed on the same side as the machine. She bent down so that they were eyelevel.

"How do you know that?" Maka's voice held gentleness almost unknown to the swordsman. In fact, Crona hesitated, not sure of how to respond to such treatment.

"Ragnarok was created from m-my blood, so you could say that we are c-connected."

Maka nodded to Crona to show her understanding. Although she maintained eye contact with the patient, her next question was aimed toward the others, "What do we do now?"

There wasn't an immediate answer. It seemed everyone else was at just as much of a loss as she was. However, footsteps were heard coming toward the machine.

"Well, the way I see it…" Kid began, brushing his hand along the top of the mechanism where dust had gathered, "We need to somehow substitute this device for something with easier transportation. We obviously need Crona to find the sword since it would be next to impossible to locate the Lost Soul's Grove otherwise. Once we do find this mysterious new wielder, and whoever it is that forced Crona to stay here, we can decide what to do accordingly. But for the moment… Do you know how this contraption works?"

Kid stared at the girl still clad in sheets. She seemed to tremble on such a heavy gaze, and stuttered even more than usual.

"N-Not r-really. She c-c-convinced an evil s-scientist to m-make it. B-But he seemed to e-enjoy my being put h-here." It was obvious Crona's teeth were chattering.

Maka cast Kid a glare and pulled him down onto the ground next to her. Close. She whispered into his ear, "Don't be so cold. She's already having trouble talking to us…"

Kid barely listened to her words; his heart seemed to drown out any attempt at hearing with its beating. He was afraid everyone would be able to see his blush.

"Are you talking about Stein? Did the guy have a big SCREW in his head and STITCHES on his face? And did he have glasses and a long white coat on?" Black*Star was suddenly face-to-face with Crona, giving her the most calculating and scary expression he could muster.

Crona's heart practically stopped and she comically passed out. Patty laughed loudly and Liz didn't know what to make of the situation. Kid was in a bit of a daze as Maka turned and shouted at the assassin, "Black*Star! What's wrong with you?!"

He glared at Maka, "What? SOMEONE had to ask!" Liz pushed apart the two feuding friends. Was she the only sensible one around here?

"Guys! We don't have time to fight, daydream, faint, or laugh uncontrollably like this. That means you, Patty!" Liz sighed and it seemed as if everyone was finally under control, although Kid still had a small blush. He was probably imagining the scene in his head once more.

"Right, right… We need to create something that can stimulate black blood…" Kid moved back over to the machine and began investigating it to see how it worked.

Maka smiled and did her best to help Kid, even promising to reward him with a kiss if he succeeded. Needless to say he tried harder after that.

Crona fidgeted nervously. Nobody had ever attempted to help her like this before and she didn't know how to react. So, she simply sat still and watched.

Liz was scolding Black*Star and Patty for being too loud while the two snickered to each other. They probably weren't even listening to her.

The two working on mobilizing Crona were already writing down a blueprint. Kid had insisted it be symmetrical, much to the annoyance of Maka. But the two finally decided on something that Soul would classify as 'cool.' They were way too smart for their ages.

Maka told Kid that she would go and find the parts for their invention, but he had shot down the idea immediately. The shinigami insisted upon accompanying her, something about it not being safe alone in this place.

And so, the couple told the others that they would return shortly with the components of their makeshift blood-stimulator. Kid had promised that they wouldn't leave the hospital, though.

They continued down the hall of the broken down hospital; Maka held onto the blueprints and Kid held her other hand.

"So…Were you serious about that kiss?" Kid questioned, his heart involuntarily running a marathon.

"As serious as I am about defeating the Darkness." Maka smiled determinedly. Kid squeezed her hand in response.

"…Where do you think Soul is?" Maka asked out of the blue, staring pointedly at the wall next to her.

"I'm sure he's okay." Kid insured, but he wasn't so positive himself. He could've been anywhere! What if Soul got ambushed by the Darkness in spite of Maka? Or maybe he got attacked by wild animals? The possibilities were endless. However, Kid would never have guessed what really did happen.

* * *

><p>"How do you feel, Soul?" Medusa questioned slyly as they made their way to the entrance of the Grove. <em><strong>Finally<strong>__. I don't have to use my traitorous daughter for this._

"Pretty good. But I'm craving more and more souls; blue ones to be specific. Is that strange?" He seemed to not be concerned at all, but as of late their conversations were full of fake comments and retorts.

"Of course not, bird brain! This one's almost as dim-witted as the other one!" Ragnarok complained to Medusa.

She only smirked. It would be better if he wasn't so smart. That way, he wouldn't question orders and get out of her control unnecessarily. At least, he still had the possibility of regaining himself, but with each passing soul he devoured his true self fell further and further into madness.

They were almost to the exit. Medusa's tattoo snakes slid down from her arms and disappeared into the fog. Not before casting magic on them, however.

"Why did we stop, Miss Medusa?" Soul asked her, confused. Ragnarok scoffed, but said nothing.

The witch's smile only grew wider, "This is where we leave the Lost Soul's Grove. I hope you have stocked up on supplies. I daresay we won't be returning soon."

Soul nodded greedily and opened his coat to show quite a collection of blue souls. "Good." Medusa looked back to the front and pulled out what looked like a shinigami skull mask.

As soon as it was shown to the wood it seemed as if the trees and fog receded and left them in a clear plain. Well, _almost_ clear. There was a huge black pot in the middle.

"Would you like to see your future, Soul?" Medusa smiled sickeningly sweet.

"Oh, that sounds cool," the boy gobbled down another soul. He was feeling on edge at this point. Medusa motioned to the large container and the two walked over to it.

"This concoction shows me what the Darkness is doing and anyone else if I wanted to. It can also delve into the future." Medusa explained, keeping her story straight.

"How do I do it?" Soul eagerly stared at the swirling rainbow-like liquid.

"…Spit." Medusa looked disgruntled, but not quite bothered. She must've done this many times in the past, he figured. Soul followed orders and the fluid started changing colors quickly, as if registering.

And then, the water became clear. Soul glanced questioningly at the witch but she only nodded back to the pot. He failed to notice the fact that the entire container was made up of ink snakes and that the contents were just…magic.

A picture of Soul showed up and he looked happy. It swished away and showed him meeting up with Maka and the others. But something wasn't right. They didn't welcome him, but called him names and told him he didn't belong anymore. Black*Star wasn't even there.

The one name that stuck out the most was this: monster. Soul grinded his teeth. Was this really going to happen? The 'screen' showed them turning their backs on him and leaving. The future Soul called out to them, but they wouldn't respond.

And then, Maka's face showed up, and she said something that sent Soul over the edge. "_I hate you._"

Distraught, the real Soul slashed the tub cleanly and let the liquids flow freely underfoot. He didn't notice that he wasn't getting wet or that the pot disintegrated.

Instead, he turned to Medusa with fire in his eyes. "What was that?! Are they really going to leave me?! IS MAKA GOING TO SAY THAT?!"

Soul slammed his fist into the ground and created a small crater. "How could they?!" Medusa forced herself not to smile at his pain. She bent down and patted his shoulder.

"They must not be very good friends to do such things. They probably think you are a setback against the Darkness. Especially that Maka. I've seen the way she ignores you just so she can be with that shinigami."

"I wanted to be okay with their relationship but I can't forget these feelings!" Soul continued to grind his teeth in frustration at his helplessness.

"I know, Soul. Even as a friend, she does not like you. That makes you angry; doesn't it? Death the Kid will always have a bigger place in her heart than you."

Soul's eyes shook. Maka was his everything. And she would betray him? This revelation sent Soul's sanity spiraling; probably never to return. He would never be the same.

"That shinigami planned for this to happen. He wanted Maka all to himself and resolved to throw you out to the curb the moment he got a chance. Do you know how you got to be in the Lost Soul's Grove, known only to the shinigami? …Death the Kid shoved you into it."

_He did?! _Soul breathing turned ragged. His red eyes seemed to glow more than usual. _Kill them, _something whispered into his ear, _bear judgment for their misdeeds against you. _

The ink snake slithered away from Soul, its job complete. "I need…I need to stop them before they hurt me."

"Yes, what must you do?" Medusa practically whispered. She sounded supporting.

"I need to kill," the evil part of him spoke out with a grin. _Yes, that will solve everything._

Soul's entire mind was a mess. So many voices spoke out at once, and his own was drowned out completely. It was like he wasn't even Soul anymore. What was the word for it? Ah, yes. This was madness.

"Indeed, that is what you must do. I can make that happen for you. All you must do is follow _me_ as your master." Medusa claimed, reaching her arm out to the still trembling boy.

Soul reached out and shook hands with her, "Yes, master." He stuck his tongue out, but Medusa paid him no mind. Now that he was her servant, just as she had wanted, everything was going smoothly. She could finally destroy the Darkness with him as a dog rather than that good-for-nothing Crona. The girl had gone through all sorts of training and such throughout her childhood and still refused her final mission.

Ragnarok remained silent, but was grumbling in his head. He knew if he spoke up now, he would only be chastised by the old hag, as he called her. But honestly, the bird brain was holding the hilt too tightly! He was so stupid, Ragnarok would even switch him for Crona! Bird brain had gotten played so easily by Medusa that it wasn't even worth laughing at. He had taken her so seriously and was now her little pet. It didn't matter much to the weapon, as long as this 'Soul Eater' knew his place.

* * *

><p><em><strong>(Author's Notes: A new chapter! I'm sorry that it didn't advance much, and that there wasn't much KiMa, but that will change. And please do not complain about Soul being OOC. He's being tricked by Medusa completely, and even the act of eating innocent people's souls are changing him inside. Stay tuned!)<strong>_


	20. Curse of the Black Blood

"It's finished!" Maka cheered, jumping with joy. Kid finished tweaking a couple of screws before wiping the sweat from his brow.

"Yes, finally." He picked up the pair of gloves, already moving to give it to Crona.

"Wait," Liz stopped him, looking incredulous. "What if it doesn't work? Don't we need to test it out before giving it to Crona, who would have to disconnect the first machine? It would be a risky situation."

Kid pondered the thought, and nodded glumly. "Good point. But no one has the black blood that is necessary for the 'Black Blood Stimulator Two' to operate properly."

Crona spoke up timidly. "U-Um, actually…There is a way, but y-you won't like it…"

Black*Star and Patty both snoozed in the corner as the others leaned in. "…Yes?"

"If…" She hesitated, "…If I give some of my blood to someone, then they will have black blood. It has many effects…The black blood heals wounds, and it a-also gives you power."

"You're hiding something. What's the drawback?" Kid narrowed his eyes calculatingly. Crona sweated visibly.

"Y-Yes. It does have a drawback…If you are not s-suited for black blood, then you will be lost in m-madness."

The room grew silent, save for the collective snoring of both Black*Star and Patty. Someone would have to do it. Everyone knew that.

"I'll do it." Maka walked over to Crona, feeling confident.

"Are you insane? Because if you aren't now, you will be if you go through with this!" Kid grabbed her arm to stop her.

"No, I'm not. I have to do this. I don't know why, but I just know. You _won't_ stop me, Kid," She glared back at him, almost daring him to say otherwise.

"Says who?" He barked back. Liz wrapped her arms around herself uncomfortably, not liking the argument.

"_Me_," she ripped her arm out of his grip, "Crona, how will this work?" Maka was being reckless, but she didn't really care. She felt like she needed to prove to herself that she wasn't helpless—that she wasn't in need of constant protection as Kid seemed to think.

Crona glanced uneasily between the two, but it was obvious that she was going to do what Maka said. She was much closer to Crona than Kid. "I just need to, um, put some of my b-blood into yours."

"Okay, that seems easy enough." Maka leaned over to a nearby table and grabbed a scalpel that seemed sharp enough.

"I-It'll have to be fast, because my skin will heal q-quickly." Crona explained, looking slightly nervous. Kid seemed very annoyed and had a really worried expression at the same time. Maka felt a little bad about that, but this needed to be done.

"Right." Maka pressed the blade on her wrist, and blood was drawn immediately, along with a sharp intake of breath.

"What are you doing? If you cut your wrist, you might die from blood loss!" Liz exclaimed.

"I-It'll heal once it's fused with the black blood…" Maka explained weakly. She already felt the pain, but waited for Crona to do the same.

When Crona cut her own wrist, it seemed as if she were passive. It didn't look like it hurt, but Maka knew otherwise at this point.

"This might hurt." Crona cautioned, smearing some of her blood on her hand.

"I-I know, let's get on with it though. It's already hurting." Crona held Maka's arm gently, yet firmly, and with the other hand, covered the wound with her own blood.

The effects were immediate. Maka gritted her teeth, but her wrist started to burn. It shot up her arm and through her body, feeling as if needles were being thrown carelessly onto her skin. She blacked out.

* * *

><p>"I have a mission for you, Soul Eater. It will be your first appearance, yes." Medusa smirked. She had made a new base underground. The door was unseen from the outside, as there was a boulder sitting atop it. There wasn't much in it, but Medusa was going to change that.<p>

"What do you want me to do?" Soul smirked challengingly. He was becoming exceedingly cocky.

"There is an organization that is causing me great trouble. With them in the way, I'm afraid our plan will fail. They call themselves the Nakatsukasa. I want you to track them down and put them to rest. You _must _assassinate the leader."

"I accept. This 'Nakatsukasa' organization _will_ be eliminated, Miss Medusa. Heh, I will make sure of it." Soul carelessly threw Ragnarok onto his back. (Medusa had given him a sheathe large enough for him.)

"…Indeed. I'd like this to be done as quickly as possible. Make sure you send me reports on your progress." Medusa smirked. Ragnarok stayed quiet. He didn't like either of these people, but knew better than to talk rudely to the witch. He had seen what happened to Crona before.

Soul stepped out of the 'hole in the ground' base. He sighed and ruffled his hair, beginning to walk forwards. "Nakatsukasa, eh? Whoever the hell named it that ought to die, too."

"Must've been a bird brain like SOMEONE I know." Ragnarok shot back spitefully. He hated being cooped up without knowing what was going on or where he was.

"Will you ever shut up?" Soul retorted, annoyed by the squeaky voice.

"He's smarter than he lets on!" The sword roared laughter at some unknown joke.

Soul ignored Ragnarok's statement and pulled out a map. Medusa had given him many things. "Nakatsukasa sounds Japanese. Miss Medusa didn't give me much information to go off of, but if they are going to mess with our plans, they are probably nearby. I should probably go to…Chūsei Kokoro…It's not very far, and from the sound of it, it seems Japanese." He smirked at his knowledge.

"Yeah, yeah, bird brain, anyone could get THAT much. Let's see you find this organization before you get a big head. Oh wait, it's too late for that; your brain only takes up about a tenth of that head of yours."

"Shut up!"

* * *

><p>"<em>Why…Why am I here again?" Maka immediately recognized the blank white room. "…Oh please tell me I'm not going into that 'Forgotten Void' again!"<em>

"_No, nothing like that." Maka whirled around to see her mother. She looked grim._

"_That's a relief… Why am I here, then? I-I didn't die, did I?" She panicked. Had the black blood been too much for her body to take, and she was currently transcending the line between life and death?_

"_Of course not. However, the black blood was not a good idea. It practically contradicts your own ability to defeat the Darkness." _

_Maka gulped, fearing the worst. "Does that mean I can't destroy it, then?" _

"_When you eventually tap into your reserve of power, it will end up stimulating the black blood inside of you as well, which would definitely lead to something bad. I can't say for certain _what_. Regardless, that is not what I needed to speak with you about."_

_Maka stared, urging her to go on. She didn't like where this was going, as her mother still had a 'bearer of bad news' look upon her face. _

"_Your friend, Soul Eater, has been consumed by the madness brought with black blood. I don't know how, or even why, but I can feel his soul losing its light. I fear that it may be too late for him to recover."_

_Maka shot Kami a look of urgency. "What?! Soul is in danger? I have to find him! Let me go back!" _

_Kami grimaced. "I'm sorry. You must not stray from your path. If you happen to do so, then I'm afraid that the world will be cast into perpetual darkness."_

"_I need to go save him!" Maka ignored her warning. She couldn't lose everyone…_

"…_As you wish. I love you." Kami closed her eyes, and Maka saw a stray tear. Before she could say anything more, everything turned black once more._

* * *

><p>Maka's eyes shot open. Worried faces surrounded her bleary vision: Kid, Liz, Crona, Black*Star, and Patty were there. The last two had apparently woken up in the ruckus.<p>

"Are you okay, Maka?!" Liz spoke suddenly, looking anxious. She nodded slowly, feeling really weird. Maka pushed herself up off of the ground; presumably where she landed.

"We…We need to find Soul…" Maka stood up shakily. Her wrist-cut had healed completely.

"What are you talking about?" Kid narrowed his eyes at her. He looked absolutely exhausted.

"I had something like a dream…but Soul needs me right now…" Before she even took a step away, Kid grabbed her arm, still sitting.

"I'm getting tired of this…Maka, you're not going anywhere. You can barely stand." She resisted, but she still didn't feel like herself. Kid tugged gently and she landed in his lap.

The others nodded their agreement. Liz spoke, "Yeah, and we still need to test out that…blood stimulator?" She wasn't really sure what it was called.

"That's right. Patty, would you hand me the gloves?" He glanced at the Thompson, who happily obliged with the request.

"Here ya go!" She smiled, but even she looked weary. Maka wasn't sure what to expect when she was handed the gloves.

* * *

><p><strong><em>(Author's Notes: Shorter than I would have liked, and a lot later than I wanted. I apologize for that. I'm a little nervous now that I'm getting into higher chapters, but I hope it still has the same quality as before. And if not...Again, I'm sorry.<em>**

**_ I hope you enjoyed this edition, and if you do like this, go check out some of my other KiMa stuff. Not into long commitment reading? See my one-shot collection of KiMa. Anyway, see ya all next chapter!)_**


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